Toxin Ga Kill!
by Andrew78591
Summary: The Empire has become corrupted by the monsters in human bodies. Many now try to end the corruption within such as the Revolutionary Army and Nightraid. A teen named Tatsumi has this same goal as he is helped by a symbiote to accomplish his goal. The city will know of a man that is set on overthrowing the corrupt government. They will know the name Toxin.
1. Chapter 1 (06-02 20:23:02)

**Hey guy, this is Andrew78591 with a new story for you guys. This one was a suggestion by one of the comments, and after thinking about it, reading the Toxin comics, getting ideas for how this story will work and being a fan of Spider-Man and the symbiotes, I decided to make this story. Note this will be very different from the main story of Akame Ga Kill! as their will be OCs in this for reasons(And no, not those really cringy OC kinds on Devindart.) Anyway hope all of you enjoy Toxin Ga Kill! Aaaaaannnndddddd begin:**

 **Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd begin:**

Chapter 1: The Beginning of New

 ** _Space_**

Space is by far one of the most magnificent of things. A vast and seemingly infinite darkness, adorned with stars that twinkled and shined like the most beautiful gems. And floating within the cosmic pool were planets, each housing different environments, all separated from one another by the vast void, like islands in an ocean. The inhabitants of each planet lived their own lives, separated from one another. Some were even completely unaware of their "neighbours'" existence. A sort of planetary isolation from the rest of the universe. This however, begs an interesting question...

What would happen if an inhabitant of one planet were to cross over to another?

In the depths of space, a meteor soared through the void. It is unknown how long it has travelled or how far it has gone. Regardless, its journey will soon end, for it was heading straight for a planet. It was a green, blue, and brown planet with white spots on it. Orbiting it was a moon with a shade of red as dark as blood. This planet was Earth, the soon to be resting place for the meteor.

Entering the planet's atmosphere, the meteor was set ablaze. Its flames were bright and formed a long streak across the night sky until finally...

BOOM!!!

It crashed down in a forest, kicking up snow everywhere and imprinting its point of arrival in the ground with a sizable crater. The meteor hissed while steam rose up from it, melting the snow that covered it with the heat it possessed. Hours passed before the meteor's temperature fell to match the environment's, looking like any other rock one would find. But this rock was special, not just because of where it came from, but what it contained. Within it, something slumbered. Something special. Something that would change the fate of many, many lives. And the world was none the wiser.

 ** _Sahne Eis Village_**

Surrounded by snowy mountains and snow covered pine trees was a village. There were small cabins, farming fields, and stone pillars. While the population of this village was small, it had good and hardworking people that could survive their enviroment. This village was given a name and that name was Sahne Eis.

It was early in the morning for the village, around eight a.m. But despite how early it was, there was already a large group of people. While there were a few adults, most of them were young teenagers. Everyone was equipped with various snow gear and weapons, prepared for what is to come.

Amongst the crowd were three young teens. One was a boy with brown eyes, black spiky hair, and a white headband on his forehead. Strapped to his back was a pair of axes. This was Ieyasu. The other was a beautiful girl with black eyes, long silky hair, and a flower in her hair. Slung over her shoulder was a bow, and on her back was a quiver of arrows. This was Sayo. And lastly was a boy with brown hair and a cowlick. Strapped to his back was his trusty sword. This boy was Tatsumi. These three were the best of friends as well as a very efficient team. Like most of the crowd, they were excited.

"Aww man, I can't believe today's the day we all get to compete in the Grand Hunt," said Ieyasu excitedly.

"I know, right? We all finally get a chance to show everyone in the village how good we are as hunters," replied Tatsumi, who was barely able to contain his own enthusiasm.

"Guys, I get that you're both excited, but you two still need to be careful," Warned Sayo. "We're not hunting deer or rabbits. We're going to be hunting danger beasts. While they're low class ones, we still need to be careful."

Tatsumi and Ieyasu both turned to her with confident faces. "Sayo, this is us we're talking about. We're considered the best hunting team in the village. I'm sure we can handle this," Said Ieyasu.

"Yeah, what he said," Tatsumi said in agreement.

"This is serious, you two." Sayo continued in a more concerned tone, "I'm worried one of us could get hurt or worse-"

Before she could finish, Tatsumi placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Sayo, we understand the dangers of doing this. We're a little nervous too. But all three of us have been working hard for this day to come, to prove we're one of the best hunters in this village."

"Yeah Sayo," Ieyasu chimed in. "We trained hard for this, so we're not backing out now. And besides, we all have each other for support."

While still worried, Sayo gave them a smile and said, "Yeah, you guys are right. However, I want all of us to make a promise."

"A promise? Okay," Tatsumi shrugged.

"Nu-uh, not just any promise. I mean our special promise." Sayo said as she took off her gloves and spat in her hands. Holding out her hands, she said "Let's make sure we all come back safe and sound". Tatsumi and Ieyusa understood what she meant and took off their gloves to spit in their hands as well. With their saliva covered palms, they did a three way handshake that established their promise. With that done, they put their gloves back on and went to their families for a bit to say their goodbyes.

Tatsumi went to a tall man with grey spiky hair, a mustache, and brown eyes. He wore an open green military coat with a kanji on the left shoulder, a simple grey shirt, black pants, brown combat boots, and blacksmithing gloves. This was Tatsumi's mentor and guardian, Obi.

Obi looked at Tatsumi with glee and said, "Look at you, my boy. You finally get a chance to participate in the Great Hunt like you've always wanted."

"Hell yeah, I am," Tatsumi replied with a confident smile. Obi put his hand on Tatsumi's head and said, "Your mother and father would have loved to see you here. I can almost picture them cheering you on as you take your first steps to becoming a top class hunter."

Tatsumi chuckled as memories of his parents replayed in his head. "Yeah, I miss them," He said with a sad smile.

"I miss them too. But I'm sure they would've wanted you to move on," said Obi in a comforting tone. They then both gave each other a hug.

"Thanks watching over me," Said Tatsumi.

"Someone had to. Who else could keep you under control?" Obi said in a joking manner. After a few more seconds, Obi pulled away from the hug. "Alright boy, it's time for you to head back with the others. The elder should be here in a few minutes."

Tatsumi nodded and walked back to the group of teens, waving goodbye to Obi as he did so. While walking, he noticed his friends talking to their loved ones.

Sayo was currently hugging a woman who had the same silky hair as her, but was in a braided ponytail. The woman wore a purple jacket, snow pants, goggles that rested on her head, black snow boots, white leather gloves, and a crossbow on her back. This was Sayo's older sister, Tsubaki, who was bidding her younger sister farewell before the Grand Hunt began.

Meanwhile, Ieyasu was talking with a man that had black hair, a small mustache, and a small goat beard. He had grey upper body armor, a black shirt, brown pants, and a giant axe on his back. This was Ieyasu's uncle, Tokugawa, who was currently talking to his nephew about being careful out there and to not do anything stupid like he always did, which resulted with them arguing with each other.

Tatsumi waited patiently for them to finish their goodbyes until the sound of a horn caught the attention of everyone, especially the young teens. That horn meant that the elder arrived, meaning the Grand Hunt was about to begin. Tatsumi quickly yelled to his friends, "Guys come on! It's time!" With that, Sayo and Ieyasu say their goodbyes and ran to Tatsumi. As soon as the two friends reach Tatsumi, all three of them ran to where the Grand Hunt was going to place.

 ** _Sahne Eis Village, Snowy Black Forest_**

In the outskirts of the village, in between two mountains, was a forest. This forest was unique for not only having some of the most dangerous danger beasts out there, but the wood of the very trees was completely black. It was also known for being haunted. Some visitors recounted hearing screaming coming from nowhere. It is believed that the screaming comes from the spirits of those who've died in the forest. This place is the Snowy Black Forest, the location where the Grand Hunt would always take place. All of the groups had finally arrived and waited for the event to begin. They all waited until two veteran hunters arrived along with the elder.

As the elder gazed at the many groups of young teens that were participating, he finally spoke, "My children, not only is today the day you all get to participate in the Grand Hunt, it is the day you all prove yourselves as capable hunters. As you all know, you were all given permission to take part in this event by showing your worth and pontenial. While some did not wish to take part in this for their own reasons, you all made your decisions to take this challenge. And for that, all of you show that you are all confident enough to take on the greater challenges up ahead." While some of the crowd of teens shouted in joy, others felt tense, for they knew what the elder was going to say next.

"However, all of you must remember that these challenges will be hard to overcome. As many like this one will lead to your deaths." The crowd quieted to let the information sink in.

The elder soon continued, "But as long as all of you do your absolute best and work together with your teammates, I'm sure all of you will make it back safe and sound." This eased the teens a little. Each one of them looked at their respective teammates, assuring themselves that they had each other's back. "With that out of the way, I will now let one of our veterans take over to explain everything you will all need to know for the hunt."

The elder steps back from the crowd of teens to let the veteran hunter explain. "Alright everyone, you all should know the basics of what you have to do in the Grand Hunt: travel through the Snowy Black Forest, capture and kill a danger beast, and return with your prize. However there's still more to it than that, so I want all of you to pay attention to what I'm about to say, because I'm only going to say this once." The teens all nodded in response as they payed close attention to what he was about to say.

"As eveyone knows, we'll be having the hunt in this forest. However, there is a range to how far you all can travel in there. Because all of you are to only go up against the lowest ranked danger beasts, there will be fences out there to make sure none of you enter too deep into the forest and ONLY hunt danger beasts that are within the provided area. Everyone should also be wearing the snow gear outfits we gave out to those participating and your own weapons. Trust me, you're all are going to need them when within the forest. And one more thing, if any of you are still out there after about a week, we'll send a search party to find you. Whether alive or as a frozen corpse." That last part sent a cold chill down most of the teens' spines.

"Now with all that information crammed into your heads, let's get this hunt started," said the veteran. "We will be sending in one group at a time and after 10 mintues, the next group will go. All of you are in groups of three, so I want every one of you to support each other in this hunt. Your teamwork will either help you all survive out there or prolong your death. I don't know," the veteran said. "Now elder, if you will."

"I would be honored," the elder replied. He faced the teens again and says, "While every one of you will be on your own out there, I wish you all the best of luck and pray that our god is merciful. Now without further a due, let the fifty-sixth Grand Hunt begin!" The teens cheered as the hunt finally began.

"Alright, everyone follow me so that we can get started," spoke one of the veterans. With that, all the groups followed the two veteran hunters into the forest while the elder watched them. After about ten minutes of walking through the forest, Tatsumi asked his friends. "Hey guys, what danger beasts do you think live out here?"

Ieyasu crossed his arms with a thoughtful hum before listing off the ones he knew. "There's a few easy danger beasts like flash foxes, icicle bucks, and horned snouts boars. Nothing we should worry about much, honestly. I think the only dangerous ones are giant owls and moose lions."

Tatsumi fist pumped and said "Okay, so our main priority will be killing either a giant owl or a moose lion."

"Tatsumi, he just said those are the dangerous ones. Why would you want us to target them?" Said Sayo.

"Because if we go after the strongest ones here, the other hunters will see how good we are and let us go after stronger danger beasts," said Tatsumi.

Sayo gave Tatsumi a serious look and said, "Tatsumi, we are not going after those danger beasts. I've heard from others that have participated in this event before us that giant owls and moose lions are the deadliest out of the c-ranked danger beasts in the Snowy Black Forest. Hell, many others who've tried hunting them ended up dead. I know you want to prove yourself as a hunter, but we can't take any risks like that."

Tatsumi smiled and said "Sayo, come on. We can handle killing one of those danger beasts, no problem." He looked over to his other at his other friend and asked "Ieyasu, you agree with me, right?"

Instead of immediately agreeing like Tatsumi had expected, Ieyasu looked at him with uncertainty as he sheepish scratched the back of his head.

"Well..."

"Ieyasu?" Tatsumi asked in confusion.

Ieyusa inhaled before continuing. "Tatsumi... I want to hunt down one of those danger beasts as much as you do. But for once, I'm gonna have to agree with Sayo on this. And that's reeeally saying something. You know I never agree with Sayo on anything, or even listen to her in general."

Sayo glanced at Ieyusa and asked "What was that?" with an angry growl.

"Nothing! Nothing!" Ieyusa quickly said with a nervous smile. He turned back to Tatsumi, saying, "Look, as much as I want to hunt them, not only are those some of the most dangerous to fight, but they're also hard to find. They're rarely seen by hunters in this part of the forest. My uncle and his old team were lucky just finding a giant owl when they participated in their Grand Hunt. And it took everything they had to take it down."

Tatsumi's mouth hanged opened as he tried to form any kind of rebuttal, but nothing came to mind. He knew that it was true that these two danger beast were considered the hardest to hunt down and they only had a week to get their prey.

"Why are you so determined to hunt those two danger beasts anyway? There are other strong danger beasts we can capture that will still get us some respect either way," asked Ieyasu.

Tatsumi didn't answer, remaining quiet until Sayo placed her hand on his shoulder and asked, "This is about your mom and dad, isn't it?"

Tatsumi nodded sadly. "Yeah. My mom and dad were famous for being able to hunt strong danger beasts. I looked up to them, wanted to be like them when I grew up. Even though they died a while back, I want to show them that I can become a strong hunter too. I want to make them proud."

Sayo looked at Tatsumi with understanding in her eyes. After thinking about it a little, she sighs and says, "Look Tatsumi, none of us are guaranteed to find a giant owl or a moose lion. But if we do come across one of them, we can try capturing them." Tatsumi looked at Sayo with surprise as she continued, "But that's only if we come across one. And if those danger beasts prove too much for us to handle, then we're retreating and going after something else, got it?"

Tatsumi smiled and said, "Got it."

"Good, after all, we all swore to make it out alive, so if you two break that promise..." said Sayo as she stopped for a moment and stared at Tatsumi and Ieyasu with a serious face and a threatening aura around her. "I'm going to kill you both," Tatsumi and Ieyasu were both scared by Sayo's threat as they hugged each other for protection and were shaking in the process. "Is that even possible?" studdered Ieyusa.

"Don't know, but it's worth a try," Sayo replied with a cheery smile.

Everyone continued walking for a while, eventually stopping at a wooden gate. It was fifteen feet tall, the wood was as black as the trees that grew in the forest and the wood at the top was sharpened to act like spikes to prevent anything from climbing over it. This was the entrance to the deeper part of the Snowy Black Forest.

One of the veteran hunters spoke out, "Alright, now that we're here, we'll start sending in one group at a time. The order will be determined by the numbers we gave to each of you yesterday." All the groups pulled out their number tags as they wait to see who enters first. "There are fifteen teams participating this time, so this will take a while."

With that, the veterans started sending out the first team through the gate, and after 10 minutes, they send in the next one. This went on for a while until the hunters called out team number 15, which was Tatsumi's team. The three friends readied their weapons and walked through the gate. When the gate closed behind them, their Grand Hunt began.

"About time, I was getting tired standing there waiting for our team to be called out," said an annoyed Ieyasu.

"It sucks that we're the last ones to enter here. The other teams have a big head start over us," Said Sayo.

"Look guys, I know we're at a rough start, but we can still do this," said Tatsumi "The best hunters are able to capture their prey no matter what position they're in. So let's prove to everyone that we deserve to be called the best." He raised his fist and asked, "Are you with me?"

"Yeah!" Sayo and Ieyasu cheered.

"Then let's go!"

With those words said, the team charged into the forest with determination blablazing in their hearts.

(Cabela's Dangerous Hunts - Main Menu Soundtrack)

Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo searched the forest for any danger beast they could claim as their prize. However, they were having trouble just trying to confront one in battle. Despite Sayo's tracking skills, the danger beasts would usually be killed by another team of hunters by the time they arrived. But that didn't stop them. They continued searching, stopping every once in a while to rest and eat their rashions. But as the days went on, the three friends were starting to wonder if they were ever going to catch a danger beast.

(Music Ends)

 ** _Snowy Black Forest, Nighttime_**

Six days have passed since the Grand Hunt began and Tatsumi's team have nothing to show for their efforts. It was the middle of the night and they were currently sitting around a fire they set up, staring at it with crestfallen expressions.

"God damn it, this can't be happening to us!" Ieyasu shouted, the anger and annoyance he felt finally reaching boiling point.

"Ieyasu, shut up. You'll attract a danger beast," said Sayo in an uncaring huss manner.

Ieyasu stands up and says "All the better! We haven't caught a single danger beast yet! And worst of all, tomorrow's the last day before the hunt ends! So I'm sorry if I'm getting reasonably frustrated at our situation!"

Sayo turns to him with an annoyed expression, "Calm down, don't you think Tatsumi and I are upset about our situation too?"

"Well, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you!" shouted Ieyasu.

Sayo stands up, angrily asking "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

Ieyusa answered, "If you had put in more work on your so called "tracking skills," then maybe we would've had ourselves a danger beast by now!"

"Like you're one to talk! You're supposed to be our team's zoologist! AKA, the guy who give us information on how to find them! Yet you haven't been helpful in the slightest!" yelled Sayo.

"I'm trying my best here!" shouted Ieyasu, with Sayo replying with, "Yeah keep telling yourself that!"

Ieyasu and Sayo continued arguing, escalating to the point that their fight would probably turn physical. Tatsumi eventually intervened and shouted, "Will you two just shut the fuck up?!" This made Ieyasu and Sayo stop arguing and stare at Tatsumi, who had an angry look on his face as he grit his teeth. "Arguing isn't going to help us at all! I get it, we're all tired and frustrated because of our luck these past few days. But that doesn't give us the right to go up at each other's throats the moment one of us snaps! We can't let our anger destroy this team!" After finishing, Tatsumi was left breathing heavily.

Sayo and Ieyasu looked down to the ground in guilt. Both of them let their anger get the best of them and unfairly lashed out at each other. Ieyasu looked at Sayo and said, "I'm sorry Sayo, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm a zoologist, but I've been absolutely zero help. I'm the one to blame for our situation."

Sayo sighed and said, "No, you're not. I'm suppose to be a tracker, yet we haven't caught a single danger beast."

"I guess we're all screw ups," Ieyasu chuckled. He spread his arms open and asked, "Hug?"

Sayo mimicked his actions. "Hug." They both then hugged. After stopping, Sayo sat back down, but Ieyasu instead headed into the woods. Tatsumi asked, "Dude, where are you going?"

"I got to take a leak," said Ieyusa.

"Okay, but be careful out there. And don't take too long," said Tatsumi as Ieyusa went deep into the woods, leaving him and Sayo alone together.

"Ahhh.. thank god that was over," said Tatsumi.

"Yeah, I don't know what would've happened if me and Ieyusa kept arguing like that," replied Sayo. As the two continued looking at the fire, Sayo asked, "Do you think we'll be able to capture a danger beast with the time we have left?"

Tatsumi responded, "Honestly, I don't know. I knew this hunt was going to be challenging, but I didn't think it would be this hard." There was a bit of silence before Tatsumi continued, "Not only that, but this hunt feels boring."

"Boring?" She repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, boring. We haven't encountered any challenges in these couple of days. All we've caught are rabbits and deer just for food. Hell, the only challenging thing we faced was a bear, and even with that, we took it out easily," Tatsumi finished with a sigh.

Sayo giggles and says, "That is true. I just hope we can finally get and danger beast and head back to Sahne Eis."

"Yeah, I can't wait to show Obi that we were able to kill a danger beast. I can see him now, laughing in joy knowing that I was improving as a hunter," said Tatsumi as he imagined Obi laughing heartily while patting Tatsumi's back.

"I can imagine what my sister would do once we got back," Sayo said as she pictured her sister, Tsubaki, with a worried look as she checked her younger sister to see if she didn't get any injuries or infections, while Sayo stood there with an embarrassed expression.

"Then there's Ieyasu with his uncle. I would love to see that," said Tasumi. The two imagined Ieyasu getting patted on the head by his uncle, Tokugawa, who said, "Good job Ieyasu, you proved to me that aren't a total idiot after all."

"Yeah, I-wait, what's that suppose to mean?!" Ieyasu replied angrily which resulted with uncle and nephew arguing and punching each other comedically. This made Sayo and Tatsumi laugh.

They continued talking about what'll happen when they got back for a while until Tatsumi noticed something. "Hey, is it just me, or is Ieyasu taking a long time just to pee."

Sayo turned to where Ieyasu had went. "Yeah, you're right. I wonder what's taking him so long?" She said in a concerned tone. As soon as she said that, they both heard the sound of screaming.

Tatsumi jumped to his feet with his sword in hand, shaking as he said "The g-ghosts! They're real!" A second scream rang through the forest, causing Tatsumi to yelp in fright.

"I don't think those are ghosts," Said Sayo, feeling that there was something familiar about the screams. Though she couldn't identify why.

As the screams were getting closer to them, they readied themselves for battle. Ghost or not, if this was hostile, they were going to fight. Another scream came, followed by the sounds of running of footsteps closing in on them. Sayo aimed her bow while Tatsumi crouched low to the ground. When a figure ran out of the trees, the two prepared to strike, but stopped when they saw what it was.

"SOMEONE KILL THIS DAMN THING!" Ieyusa shouted as he ran past them.

Before the two could question what he was talking about, they heard a ferocious roar, and a second later something leaped in front of them. It was quadrupedal and stood six feet tall. Its body was covered in brown fur and on its head were two large palm-shaped antlers. Its lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing the fangs underneath. Its upper canines were sharp and long, extending past its lower jaw. The claws on its paws dug into the ground and its fuzzy tipped tail moved from side to side. This was the c-ranked danger beast known as the moose lion.

It gave a low growl as its slit-pupiled eyes observed Tatsumi, then shifted its focus onto Sayo. When its eyes fell on Ieyasu, it roared and charged for him. As quick as a flash, Sayo pulled the bow string and fired an arrow, burrowing into the moose lion's foreleg. It roared in pain and tumbled across the ground.

"Ieyasu, you okay?" Asked Tatsumi

"Whoo," breathed out Ieyasu, "My legs feel like dough, but other than that, I'm good."

"That's good. Say, can you introduce your "friend" here?" Said Sayo. The moose lion ripped the arrow out of itself and tossed it aside before turning to the hunters with a growl.

"Well, funny story," said Ieyasu as he thought back to a few minutes ago. "It all started when I finished peeing on a tree..."

 _(Flashback~)_

 _After zipping up his pants, Ieyasu whistled merrily as he walked back to the campsite. That is until he heard the sound of something being dragged. Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he diverged from his previous path and followed the sound. He quickly saw a big trail in the snow. Confused, Ieyasu looked over to the left. The second he did, he gasped. Walking away was a moose lion, dragging a dead giant owl by the wing. Judging by the lack of injuries on both creatures, the holes in the owl's neck not counted, the battle must've been a quick one. Most likely a sneak attack ended the fight as quickly as it began._

 _The moose lion stopped when it heard something behind it, making Ieyasu's blood run cold. The danger beast looked back to see what it was. Seeing nothing of importance, it continued its walk._

 _Behind a tree, Ieyasu had his hand on his chest as he tried to calm himself down. He decided to leave before the danger beast spotted him. But when he took a few steps, he realized something. This was it. This was his chance to finally capture a danger beast and get the respect he and his friends worked for. There was only one problem._

 _He was alone._

 _Ieyasu brought a hand to his chin in thought. 'If I leave and go get Tatsumi and Sayo, it could escape and we won't be able to track it because of the darkness. But if I fight it myself, I'm dead meat. Even I'm not that good.'_

 _Thinking on what to do, he smiled widely and snapped his fingers when an idea came to him. If he can't bring his friends to the beast, he'll bring the beast to his friends!_

 _Running out of the tree, he shouted "Hey, furball!" The moose lion turned back and saw Ieyasu holding his axes. "Yeah, you! Get over here and test your luck to see if you can take a bite outta me!" He challenged._

 _The moose lion looked at its kill. The giant owl was so big, it was almost as big as itself. It then turned to Ieyasu. Judging by his size, the boy would only suffice as a light snack. It looked back to the owl, then back to Ieyasu. Back to the owl, then Ieyasu. Back to the owl, then Ieyasu. Back the owl, then-you get the point._

 _The moose lion turn and proceeded walk away, shocking Ieyasu._

 _"Hey, where are you going? Aren't you gonna eat me?" Ieyasu shouted at it, to which the moose lion ignored. It continued to walk until something hard it in the back of the head. Turning around, it was met with a rock to the face, courtesy of Ieyasu. "Did that hurt? I'm sooo sorry?" He said mockingly before he blew a raspberry. Picking up another rock from the ground, Ieyasu threw it at the moose lion's face, making it drop the owl. The danger beast roared and slowly approached Ieyasu, snarling angrily._

 _"Uh, oh look at the time! Gotta go!" Ieyasu bolted away from the moose lion, hearing it roar as it chased after him._

 _(End of Flashbask~)_

"...and that's how it happened," said Ieyasu as he finished his explanation. Tatsumi and Sayo both stared at him, dumbfounded and angered by Ieyasu's "plan."

"Ieyasu, if it wasn't for the moose lion being right in front of us, I would have kicked your ass by now," said Sayo in an angry tone. Ieyasu responded with a small chuckle, but then readied himself for combat. The three young hunters faced off against the danger beast, while the moose lion growled at them, ready to strike.

During the stare off, Tatsumi whispered to Ieyasu, "Ieyasu, you know a lot about this danger beast, so what's the best way to deal with this one?"

"Well, from what the books told me, the moose lion relies on its antlers, teeth, and claws for attacking. The antlers are used to swing at its prey like a club to weaken it. They're so strong, they can break through boulders with a few swings. But the swings are little slow, so we just have be quick to dodge. The claws and teeth are a problem too, though. They use them for quick surprise attacks, so watch out for that," repiled Ieyasu.

"Slow, but strong swings, watch the fangs and claws. Got it. Anything else?" Tatsumi asked as the hunters and moose lion circled each other.

Ieyasu replied with, "I was told from the other hunters and my uncle that that it's best to attack it from behind. Helps avoid the antlers and fangs. But you have to be careful, its hind legs can deliver powerful kicks. Once you're on its back though, it won't be able to reach you." With all that information, Tatsumi started to think of a plan.

After a couple seconds, Tatsumi spoke, "Here's what we're going to do. Ieyasu, you attack the moose lion from the front while I attack from behind. Sayo, you keep your distance and shoot it. Try to hit a weak spot like the eye or neck. Got it?"

While Sayo nodded, Ieyasu asked, "Why do I have to deal with the front?"

"YOU brought it here!" Tatsumi snapped at him.

"Hey, you wanted to fight a moose lion!" Ieyasu defended.

"Not like this!"

Before the two could continue arguing, the moose lion roared and charged at them.

"Scatter!" Ordered Sayo.

The friends went in different directions just as the moose lion slashed its claws. In front of it stood Ieyasu with a nervous smile.

"Say, about before, you're not still mad, right?" Ieyasu asked nervously. The moose lion roared and ran at Ieyasu.

"Guess you are!" Ieyasu jumped back just before the moose lion could bite him. He swung an axe at the moose lion, but its antlers blocked the weapon. The beast swung its antlers, but Ieyasu rolled out of the way of the attack. The moose lion attempted to pounce on Ieyasu, but he jumped out of the way. Ieyasu dashed towards the beast and swung at the beast's chest, creating a bloody slash mark across it. It roared in pain and swung its antlers again, but Ieyasu moved away from it before he could get hit.

Meanwhile, Tatsumi slowly approached the moose lion from behind. While it was seemingly only paying attention to Ieyasu, every time Tatsumi got close, it would kick back. While Tatsumi was never close enough to get hurt, he could still feel the wind rush past his face, indicating that the strength behind them was great. Sayo kept on firing her arrows at the danger beast. So far, she's only been able to hit the beast's shoulders, stomach area, and one of its hind legs, but it still wasn't enough to put the moose lion down. The arrows didn't even seem to faze it anymore, ignoring the pain so it could kill its targets.

The battle continued with neither side gaining the advantage. This went on until the moose lion was finally able to hit Ieyasu with its antlers. While Ieyusa was able to block the attack with his axe, he was still sent flying, colliding against a tree.

"Ieyasu!" cried Tatsumi. The moose lion turned to Tatsumi with a snarl, while the brunette prepared to fight it head on. Ieyasu groaned as he rolled to his side. He felt that his ribs were broken and his back bruised. Still, if he hadn't blocked that attack like he did, things could've been a lot worse.

Seeing Ieyasu was more or less okay, Sayo felt a sense of relief wash over her. However, that was soon replaced with a sense of urgency to kill the beast now before someone got killed. So she grabbed another arrow, took aim, and concentrated. She held her breath as she focused solely on her target. Despite the moose lion moving wildly in its fight with Tatsumi, she stayed calm and steady. As soon as she saw her opportunity, she fired her arrow and hit her target. The target she was aiming for was the moose lion's eye. The beast roared in agony as it flailed around.

Tatsumi knew this was the perfect opportunity to strike and decided to take it. He ran around the danger beast and slashed at its hind legs with his sword; making it impossible for the beast to deliver it's kicks, as well as hindering movement. The attack made the moose lion instinctively turn around and try to bite whatever had attacked it. Tatsumi managed to move back just a second before it could sink its teeth into him, but he unfortunately tripped and fell on his back. The moose lion put its paw on Tatsumi's chest, pinning the hunter beneath it. Tatsumi fearfully looked up at the snarling beast above him, blood and saliva dropping onto him. The moose lion's mouth closed in on Tatsumi, but just before its fangs could so much as graze him, the beast was hit in the side by an axe. The beast roared even more and turned to face the one who lodged the axe into it. Ieyasu was gripping his other axe while his arm was wrapped around his chest. Despite the pain he was in, he still had a smile on his face. The beast got off of Tatsumi and approached Ieyasu, who took a step back each time the moose lion took a step forward.

"That's right, ya' overgrown furball. Keep your eyes on me. Ignore everything else," Said Ieyasu.

Seeing its back turned, Tatsumi stood back up and gripped his sword tightly. Taking a deep breath, he ran towards the beast and jumped onto its back. Feeling the extra weight, moose lion tried to shake the young hunter off, but Tatsumi held on tightly as he crawled forward. Once he was in position, Tatsumi reeled back his sword and stabbed it right through the back of the beast's neck, sticking out on the other side. After Tatsumi got off its back, the moose lion's legs trembled as it tried to stay standing, blood gushing out of its throat. But it soon fell on its side, finally dying from the strike.

Tatsumi, Ieyusa, and Sayo stared at it in silence, until Tatsumi started laughing. And his laughing turned into cheering, which his friends joined in on.

"We did it!" Shouted Tatsumi.

"About fucking time," said Ieyusa as he started to laughed a little, but stopped due to the pain. "Ow, it hurts to laugh."

Sayo was simply laughing in joy, even shouting, "Woohoo!"

They celebrated for a while, cheering and laughing. This was a victory, and they were going to enjoy it.

 ** _Snowy Black Forest, Cliffside_**

"Are you sure your okay?" Tatsumi asked Ieyasu as the team dragged the moose lion with some rope they had.

"For the fifth time, I'm fine," Ieyasu groaned in response.

"Sorry, I'm just worried," Tatsumi apologized. "Thanks, by the way."

"For what?" Ieyasu asked.

Tatsumi jabbed a thumb towards the beast and said, "For this. Even though your plan was dangerous and stupid,"

"That's putting it mildly," Sayo commented.

Tatsumi continued, "I really wanted to nab one of these, so thanks. I think I'm one step closer to being like my parents."

"Yeah, well you can thank me by being there when I talk to my uncle. I know the second he sees me, he's gonna go on a rant about how stupid and careless I am." Ieyasu could already imagine every single word that would come out of Tokugawa's mouth. This made him shudder.

"Can you blame him? You led it to camp expecting us to be ready," Said Sayo.

"I get it, I screwed up. Can't we talk about this after I don't feel like hell?" Asked Ieyasu.

His friends responded in complete unison, "No."

As they walked, Sayo noticed something in the snow. "Hold on guys," She said.

Tatsumi and Ieyasu both stopped walking. "What's up?" Ieyasu asked.

Sayo and walks over to a spot in the snow and bends down to examine it. On the ground was a trail of paw prints. And judging by their size, whatever made these was big. Really big.

"Ieyasu, can you tell me what animal could make these?" Sayo asked Ieyasu.

Walking over to Sayo's side, Ieyasu got a good look at the trail. "Damn, these paw prints are bigger than anything I've seen." Examining the paw prints, Ieyasu tried to figure out what could've made them. When he figured it out, his eyes widened in fear.

"Sayo, can you tell me the condition of those paw prints?" asked Ieyasu.

Looking over the paw prints again, Sayo replied, "They're still fresh, like the animal was just recently here."

"Oh-"

"Shit!" Tatsumi exclaimed. Ieyasu and Sayo looked behind them to see what happened.

Tatsumi had just dodged an attack from a very creature that tried to sneak up on him. When the hunters regrouped, they got a better look at the perpetrator. It was very large and stood ten feet tall on all fours. Its fur was white, and there were a bunch of icicle quills on it's back. It had a large muzzle, pure black eyes, sharp teeth, and small ears. It also had very long claws on its large paws. The creature they were facing was a danger beast known as the icicle back ursa. The danger beast stared at them in hunger, saliva dripping down its maw.

The entire team readied themselves for a fight. "Alright dude, do you know what this is? And if so, what are its weaknesses?" Tatsumi whispered to Ieyasu. Said teen looked hesitant. Gulping down some spit, he said. "Sorry to say this guys, but we're out of our league here."

Tatsumi and Sayo stared at Ieyasu in confusion as he continued talking, "That thing over there is an icicle back ursa. It's so strong, it's probably the most powerful danger beast in the forest. There's not a lot of weaknesses known about it. If there were, anyone who found out were likely killed before they could share the info. Unless we get out of here now, this danger beast is going to kill us."

This information made Tatsumi and Sayo tense. They were now facing a danger beast thatwas afar stronger than the moose lion, and that thing took all their effort to kill. All three of them had to think of something fast or they were all going to die. As they were thinking, the ursa charged at them, letting out a battle roar. All three hunters immediately dodged the beast's charge in the nick of time. Despite how big the ursa was, it was surprisingly fast.

When the ursa turned and ran at them again, Sayo grabbed her bow and fired a few arrows at the beast. While they hurt the ursa, it didn't stop it. The beast stood up on it's hind legs and swung its massive arm at Sayo.

"Look out!" yelled Tatsumi as he pushed Sayo out of the way, getting hit in her stead. Though he managed to bring up his sword to block it, Tatsumi was launched all the way to the edge of the cliff. Tatsumi grit his teeth, trying to ignore the burning pain he felt. His left arm was knocked out of its socket and twitched uncontrollably. His vision was blurry and his thoughts were hazy. Getting his bearings together, he watched what has happening to his friends.

Both Ieyusa and Sayo were trying to fight the danger beast, but its speed and power constantly forced into defensive measures. Sayo was shaking in fear. Not only were her arrows not causing much damage to the danger beast, but the ursa had destroyed her bow, leaving her unarmed. Ieyasu wasn't doing any better. He hadn't gotten enough time to recover from fighting the moose lion, so his injuries were taking a toll. Not only that, but one of his axes was destroyed by the ursa, putting him in a more dangerous situation.

As Tatsumi slowly got up, he started to think of a plan that could help them all escape. Meanwhile, Ieyasu slammed against a tree with a sickening crack. "Damn it," he cursed under his breath.

"Ieyasu!" Sayo cried out as she ran to his side.

"G-go! Take T-Tatsumi and get out of here. I'll distract it by..." Ieyasu didn't dare finish the sentence.

"I'm not leaving you!" Said Sayo.

"Don't be stupid! Leave!" Ieyasu ordred as he stood, but soon fell on one knee.

"I told you, I'm not-"

The roar icicle back ursa interrupted them, making them turn to see it stalking towards the two. Ieyasu and Sayo looked at the ursa in fear, knowing what was coming next. Sayo started to cry while Ieyasu forced himself back on his feet with his remaining axe in had. If he was going to die, he wanted to die fighting till his last breath.

Suddenly, the ursa stopped. Ieyasu and Sayo watched in confusion as the danger beast sniffed the air. The ursa had picked up the scent of something. Something bloody, something tasty, something that would appease its hunger. When the beast turned to where the smell was coming from, it saw Tatsumi, covered in the blood and intestines of the moose lion. The very sight him made the ursa lick it's lips in hunger. The beast then started to walk towards Tatsumi.

"Tatsumi no," whispered Sayo.

"What is he doing?" Ieyasu asked in bewilderment.

As the ursa was getting closer to the boy, Tatsumi gripped his sword tightly with his good arm. When the ursa was in front of him, it got up on its hind legs, standing over Tatsumi at a towering sixteen feet. The very height of the beast made Tatsumi uneasy, but he still stood his ground. He raised his sword and stabbed it into the ground, staring defiantly at the beast. The ursa raised its giant paw and swung at Tatsumi, but he jumped back. The ursa tried again, but like before, Tatsumi jumped back. With each swing, Tatsumi would move back enough to avoid it. But there was one problem which quickly made itself known.

Tatsumi gasped when his foot met air. He balanced himself to prevent himself from falling. Looking down, he saw the miles of darkness below him. There was no where left to run. As he watched the snarling danger beast approach him, he could've sworn he saw it smile. It raised its paw like before, claws shining in the moonlight, ready to tear into his flesh. That's when they heard it.

 _Crack~_

A cracking sound came from where Tatsumi's sword was stabbed into and cracks formed around it. More cracking noises came as the cracks on the ground spread to encompass the area Tatsumi and the ursa stood. When Tatsumi had plunged his sword into the ground, he damaged the structural integrity of the cliff. And by having the weight of the ursa added onto it...

Tatsumi gave a smile and a thumbs up to his friends as he shouted, "Make sure our prize makes it back to the village! I want everyone to see it!"

The ground beneath Tatsumi and the ursa collapsed, and they both fell off the cliff to their demise. The only thing that was heared was Tatsumi's screams and the danger beast's roars as they fell into the abyss.

"TATSUMI!" Screamed Sayo and Ieyasu, watching their childhood friend fall to his death.

While falling, Tastumi forced himself to close his eyes, thinking that maybe if he didn't look, it would make this a little easier.

'Is this how I'm gonna die?' Tatsumi thought. His mind replayed images of his life. From the good times, to the bad times. From every tear he shed, to every laugh. He thought of how funny it was that he was going to die at such a young age. He used to think he would die when he was old, long after he made a name for himself. And when he did, it would be so glorious that it would go down the annals of history. But at least he protected his friends. They get to live. They get to go back and celebrate their kill. That fact would make him feel a little better.

 _THUD!_

Great pain passed through his entire body, but it was only for a moment. And in an instant, he lost consciousness.

For someone to fall from such an altitude, this would normally be the end. But not for Tatsumi. Fate had something different in mind.

A short distance away, in the center of a crater was a rock. And from the rock, something started rising from it. It was some kind of dark orange slime with two white and curved spots resembling eyes. The thing gazed at the body laying near the crater and slithered out of the rock. It travelled out of the crater and stopped near Tatsumi. Its "face" leaned in close to Tatsumi's, observing the boy's face questioningly. It then expanded and engulfed Tatsumi in itself.

 ** _Snow Black Forest Morning_**

Tatsumi's eyes slowly opened to the sight of the sun shining down on him. Putting an arm over his face to block out the rays from his eyes, he grumbled, "Close the curtains, I'll be up in five minutes." He turned to his his side to continue sleeping. That's when he noticed he wasn't sleeping on a bed. He was sleeping on snow. "What the..." Sitting up, Tatsumi looked around his surroundings. "This is Snowy Black Forest. But why am l..."

Tatsumi's memories came rushing back to him. The ursa, the hopeless battle, the sacrifice.

The fall.

"I should be dead," Tatsumi said as he stood up. He looked down his body and said, "But I'm not. I don't feel anything wrong." He rotated his left arm, the one that was knocked out of its socket before, and felt no pain. "My arm feels good as new. Heck, even the guts I was covered in are gone. Like it never happened... THIS IS AWESOME!!!"

Tatsumi jumped up and down excitedly. "When I tell everyone how I jumped off a cliff and came back like nothing, they're gonna flip! They'll treat me like a super badass!" He laughed proudly before he remembered his village.

"Oh right, I have to head back to the village." The young boy looked around his surroundings and said "Wherever it is, anyway." Snowy Black Forest is huge. And without a map, well... let's just say he'll be here a while.

"Don't panic, Tatsumi. Remember your training. When in unfamiliar territory, always try to familiarize yourself with your surroundings," He told himself. He began walking while he spoke. "I'll just search for some familiar landmarks and-oof!" In his self-talk, Tatsumi didn't notice a pile of snow on the ground until he tripped on it. Getting back up, Tatsumi brushed himself off and continued walking, unaware that the pile started to stir and rise. "Like I was saying, I'll look for some familiar landmarks and I'll be back home in no time. What could go wrong?"

The pile shook, sending snow in different directions. Hearing the commotion behind him, Tatsumi looked behind him to see what was going on. And when he did, fear gripped his heart like a vice. It was the icicle back ursa that attacked him and friends last night. The beast looked completely unfazed by the fall, only getting knocked out and having some of its icicles broken. The ursa looked around the area in order to identify where it was, almost immediately noticing Tatsumi. The beast growled threateningly, bearing its sharp teeth. The boy tensed up in fear as he instinctively reached for his sword to defend himself. But when he didn't feel the handle of his sword, he realized that he didn't have it on him. Not only is there a danger beast in front of him but he had no way defend himself. As the ursa slowly approached the young boy, Tatsumi quickly turned and ran from the beast. The ursa roared and gave chase to him.

Tatsumi ran as fast as he could, ignoring the roars of the ursa behind him. He hoped that he was putting enough distance between two, but didn't attempt to look back. The only thing he focused on was to survive. Unfortunately, the world was not kind to Tatsumi, as he tripped from the snow and fell down. Tatsumi looked up behind him to see the ursa getting closer to him. Tatsumi crawled back as tears formed in the edges of his eyes.

'Sayo, Ieyasu, Obi, everyone, I'm sorry I couldn't make it back. I tried my best, but it wasn't enough good.' When the ursa lunged at him, Tatsumi looked away. "Damn it, I want to live!"

' ** _Sure thing.'_**

Tatsumi opened his eyes in surprise. When he did, he immediately saw the ursa suspended in the air by some orange tendrils wrapped around it. The surprise Tatsumi had from the sight was multiplied by fifty when he saw that the tendrils were coming from his chest.

"What the hell?" Tatsumi asked, trying to comprehend if what he was seeing was real.

 ** _'Don't worry about this,'_** The voice said again as the tendrils flung the struggling beast into a tree, splintering it upon impact. ' ** _Just let me do all the work.'_**

Orange and blue slime seeped out of Tatsumi's clothes and spread all over his body. The boy screamed in panic, but before he could even attempt to struggle, he was already covered in the substance.

When the ursa stood back up and shook the snow and wood off its body, it glared at Tatsumi with rage. What the beast saw was something unusual, to say the least. The boy was no longer wearing snow gear and was instead clad in an odd looking jumpsuit. The upper body was a reddish orange while his forearms and lower body were a dark shade blue, almost black. Right in the color border were orange strands that moved in an unsettling manner. The mask had two white, curving patches. And the most noticable feature of the suit was the symbol on the back depicting a big and menacing white spider with zigzagging legs.

Whatever had occurred, the ursa didn't care. It got into onto its hind legs and roared ferociously. The mask split apart horizontally to reveal a fanged smile.

 **"Now it's time for me to have some fun. Wouldn't you agree, prey?"** "Tatsumi" said. Though he seemed to be the only one talking, another voice, deep and menacing, spoke in unison with him.

(Skrillet-Bangarang)

The ursa processed to charge at him, but "Tatsumi" leaped over the beast and landed behind it. When the bear stopped and turned back to its target, "Tatsumi" mockingly said, **"You're gonna have to be faster than that if you wanna catch me, Mr. Teddy Bear."**

The ursa growled and charged again. This time, "Tatsumi" decided to stand his ground and fight the creature head on. Raising his hand to display his newly grown sharp claws, he said **"This is going to be fun! Mwahahahaha!"**

 _Bangarang_

The ursa swings it'a massive paw at "Tatsumi", but the boy grabbed the paw mid-swing and threw the ursa behind him. When it slammed into ground, the beast pushed itself back to its paws to fight again, where it was immediately slashed across the face, leaving deep cuts. The ursa attempted to bite "Tatsumi's" head off, but the boy ducked under it and delivered a hard uppercut its chin, followed by a spinning kick to the face that knocked it back to the ground. As the suited hunter laughs at the danger beast's poor attempts at fighting, the ursa turns its back towards "Tatsumi."

 **"You're gonna leave already? Come on, I haven't even finished warming up ye-"** Before "Tatsumi" could finish his sentence, the ursa stood on its hind legs and fired its icicles at him. **"Argh!"** He cried out in pain as the projectiles impaled him.

When the ursa turned to "Tatsumi," its saw him laying on the ground on his back with icicles sticking out of him. The ursa snorted in satisfaction, believing to have finally killed the boy.

That's when something interesting happened.

Strands of the suit wrapped around the icicles and one by one, plucked them out of "Tatsumi." The puncture wounds created by the attack were covered up in seconds by the suit. Getting into a sitting position, "Tatsumi" smiled mockingly with an icicle caught in its mouth that he soon crushed with his teeth.

 **"Psyche!"** said "Tatsumi." While standing up, he said, **"While that was a cool trick, that's all it was. A cool trick. And it's gonna take a lot more effort to do me in. You on the other hand?"** His smile widened **"Not as much as you think."**

The ursa roared, but was interrupted by some kind of blue spider web hitting it in the face. It grabbed onto the webbing and tried to tear it off itself. Though it was surprisingly difficult to do so, the ursa managed to remove the webbing and toss it aside. It glared in "Tatsumi's" direction, but saw he wasn't there anymore. In its moment of confusion, a line made of the same kind of blue webbing from before connected with its arm and pulled it in the direction it came from.

Perched on a tree branch stood the grinning "Tatsumi," and beside him was the other end of the web line, stuck to the tree trunk.

The ursa growled and raised a paw to slash the web line, but "Tatsumi" had leaped over the ursa and fired a web line that connected with the raised paw. When the ursa was gonna swing, its arm was jerked towards "Tatsumi." Once landing, he stuck the web line to a tree trunk. The ursa roared furiously as it struggled against its bindings, trying to free itself so it could devour "Tatsumi."

 **"Aww, don't be like that. We haven't even gotten to the best part!"** "Tatsumi" said. He walks to certain spot that was about ten feet in front beast and fired some web lines on either side of him, connecting them to some trees. By walking backwards, "Tatsumi" pulled the web lines until they couldn't be stretched any further.

 **"This is going to be bloody,"** "Tatsumi" said with a sadistic smile. With a small jump off the ground, the web lines slingshoted him towards the ursa at high speeds, feet forward. In the blink of an eye, the ursa was decapitated. The force of the kick was able to snap off its head like a toy. "Tatsumi" skid across the ground upon landing, kicking up snow before he came to a stop. Turning around, he observed his handiwork with a content look on his face. Blood had sprayed from where the ursa's head was, painting the snow and trees close to it a dark red. Its blood also flowed down its body and dripped onto the ground beneath it, creating a red spot of snow on the ground. And the head layed a short distance away, still holding its snarling expression even in death.

(Music End)

 **"Aww, I broke the teddy bear. Now there's stuffing everywhere,"** "Tatsumi" joked. He then laughed in sadistic glee. His laughter suddenly subsided and he hunched over, shaking uncontrollably.

 **"W-wait!** "Tatsumi"pleaded as hands landed on his face. Clutching the orange skin tightly, he pulled.

 **"Y-you don't... understand..."**

The skin stretched in an almost cartoonish manner, forming a tear that grew in size.

 **"I... just want to help... YOOUUAAAAHHH!!!"**

The unnatural face split in half, revealing Tatsumi's human face.

"GET OFF ME!!!" He shouted, proceeding to grab the chest area pull it apart, the tear bigger and now reached his stomach.

The "suit" produced a screeching sound as tendrils formed on different parts of it, flailing wildly. From the tear Tatsumi had made, strands from one side connected with the other and vice versa. It then began to pull itself back together. As Tatsumi tried to pull the sides away from each other to prevent the "suit" from fixing itself, he jumped backwards into a tree. On impact, he let go of the "suit," allowing it to quickly repair itself. When Tatsumi tried to grab his mask to try and tear it off again, his hands stopped just an inch from his face. He tried to move them closer, but his muscles wouldn't obey. Instead, his hands shakily spread to his sides and fired some web lines to some trees. As for his legs, tendrils wrapped around them and pulled them together. He was effectively restrained.

Tatsumi struggled against his bindings until the voice from before returned. **_'Can you just calm down already!? Geez, after all the work I put in to make sure you didn't die, this is the thanks I get?'_**

"D...Die?" Tatsumi panted as his struggle ceased.

' ** _Yeah, die. When I found you after you fell with that bear, I bonded to and healed all your injuries. Which was a lot, by the way! Broken bones, messed up organs, you were lucky I was close by. If I hadn't worked immediately, you wouldn't have survived.'_**

So that's why he woke up fine.

 ** _'So yeah, you're welcome.'_**

When the tendrils unwrapped from Tatsumi's legs and the web lines disconnected from his hands, the boy asked "Why'd you save me?"

 ** _'You were dying, I needed a host. Figured bonding would solve both our problems,'_** the creature responded in a nonchalant manner.

 _'Bonding? What is it talking about? Hell, What IS it?'_ Tatsumi thought skeptically.

 ** _'I_** ** _'m a symbiote.'_**

"Huh?"

' ** _That's what you wanted to know, right? Well I just told you. I'm a symbiote,'_** the creature, now identified as a symbiote, responded.

"But I didn't say anything."

' ** _No, but you thought it.'_**

"Thought it? Wait, you can read minds?!" Tatsumi exclaimed in shock.

' ** _Just yours. We're not only physically bonded, we're mentally bonded. I can also sort through your memories and learn everything you know. Which I did while fixing you up. Oh and just so you know, that sweater vest you have is totally not as good looking as you think it is.'_**

Frustrated by the complete lack of knowledge on the creature, Tatsumi yelled "That's it! Who are you, what are you, and why are you connected to me?! I want answers!"

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'll explain to you everything you need to know, sheesh." Tatsumi took soothing breaths to calm himself down as the slime started his explaination.

 ** _'As I said before, I'm called a symbiote. I'm not a danger beast, I'm more of an "alien" as you would call me. Symbiotes are a species that attach themselves to suitable hosts to survive while also making the host much stronger. Because we're bonded, I can read your thoughts and feel your emotions.'_**

Oh okay, that explains it.

What?

"Wait, you're an alien? Like, a REAL alien? The kind you find in outer space?"

 ** _'Noooo, the kind you find in your attic,' the symbiote replied sarcastically. 'YES, a space alien!'_**

Digesting all the information he was given, an important question came to mind. "Wait, if your an alien, then why are you here?" He asked.

 ** _'Good question, I'm... trying to figure that out too actually...'_** The symbiote trailed off near the end.

"Are you saying you don't know? How could you end up on a different planet and not even know HOW you got here in the first place?" Tatsumi asked incredulously.

 ** _'Well I don't, okay?'_** The symbiote responded with a growl. **_'For some reason, I can't remember where I came from or what it's called. It's all blur to me. All I remember is being in a rock floating through space for who knows how long. I can't even remember my own name... Eh, whatever. They'll come back eventually. In the meantime, I'll just make new ones with you!'_**

"About that," Tatsumi started. "I appreciate that you helped me and all, but I need you to get off me."

 ** _'... You're serious? Do you not see what I did to that bear?'_** A tendril pointed towards the dead danger beast to make a point.

"Look, you're cool and all, but I'd rather not deal with something I don't know anything about living off of my body. So if you could just get off, that'd be nice."

 ** _'Yeeeeeah, no. You're a strong and healthy host for me. And after seeing all you went through in just a few hours, I can tell that you need me, so I'm sticking around,'_** replied the symbiote.

Tatsumi groaned at this, "Well that's just great. How the hell am I going to explain this to Obi and everyone else back at the village?"

 ** _'Don't know, but you got plenty of time to think of something on the way.'_**

Tatsumi sighed. Walking back to where he came from, he saw the rocky cliff side. He couldn't help but think about his fall. No human being should be able to survive falling from such a height. But he did. And it was because of the "symbiote," as it calls itself. He wouldn't admit it, but part of him felt grateful.

Tatsumi shook those thoughts away, ignoring the slight chuckle in his head as he focused on the cliff. He didn't have any climbing gear, so to attempt to scale it was out of the question. The only reason he came back here was because it was a familiar area. From here, he'll start mapping the forest to find any exits. It's not gonna be easy. This place was huge and crawling with danger beasts. It could take him days, maybe even weeks. But if he acts patient, he'll survive.

 ** _'Ugh, that'll take forever. If you want to get back home, just climb back to the top and take the path you already know. Skip all that other stuff,'_** said the symbiote.

"What are you, insane? I don't have the gear to climb to the top," said Tatsumi.

 ** _'Actually, you do have the gear necessary. Me!'_**

"Wha-AHH!?" Before Tatsumi could question what it meant, his body leaped towards the cliff side. When his hands and feet made contact, he found himself attached to it.

 ** _'Ta-da! Why use all the extra cargo when you can just stick naturally?'_**

"Nothing about this is 'natural," Tatsumi said as he looked at his hand.

 ** _'Ah, who cares? Point is you can climb, so climb.'_**

Tatsumi obeyed the symbiote and proceeded to climb up the cliff. As he continued to climb, he saw that he was climbing similar to that of a spider. He turned to look at the scenery behind him and breathed out in awe when he saw the miles of snow covered trees, the rivers that contrasted against the black and white, and the far off mountains. It was beautiful.

 ** _'And you wanted to get rid of me,'_** said the symbiote. Tatsumi snapped out of his little trance and resumed climbing.

(SpiderMan 2002 Main Title by Danny Elfman)

As Tatsumi continued to climb, a sense of curiosity itched in his mind. 'If this... thing could allow me to climb like this, what else can it do?'

 ** _'I'd rather not be called a "thing," thank you very much,'_** The symbiote suddenly said, surprising Tatsumi and reminding him that he wasn't alone in his head anymore. **_'And if you want a test drive, I'll be more than happy to give you one.'_**

"But my village-"

 ** _'Can wait,'_** The symbiote interrupted. **_'Come on, aren't you dying to see what we can do?'_**

Tatsumi thought about what it was saying. If he was really stuck with the symbiote, then he should at least know what it can do, right? So he nodded and said, "Okay."

 ** _'Glad to hear it, partner. Now get ready for some fun!'_** The symbiote said excitedly, covering Tatsumi's face with its mask, though it lacked the fangs, this time. It then added, **_'Oh and fyi, try not to piss yourself. I'd rather not deal with that.'_**

Before Tatsumi could ask what it meant, his body disconnected from the cliff side, sending him into a free fall. The boy screamed in terror as the ground got closer and closer. But just as he was about to hit the ground, he suddenly ascended higher into the air.

"Huh?" Tatsumi blinked in surprise before his attention went to his arms. The orange part of the symbiote had now spread and covered his arms. A strand on either side of him connected to him and extended until it reached his hips. And finally, orange bat-like wings formed and connected from his pinkies, to his hips.

"We can fly!?"

 ** _'Well, actually, we're gliding, but who cares?'_**

Slowly descending below tree level, he maneuvered past the trees in his path, all the while, a big smile was plastered on his face. Movement was a little hard since he wasn't used to gliding, but he managed to avoid any collisions.

When the ground got closer to him again, his arm jerked involuntarily in another direction and fired a line of webbing, connecting with a tree branch before it yanked Tatsumi towards it. He instinctively grabbed onto the branch with both hands and flipped off it like an acrobat. His arm again jerked to another direction and fired another web line, making him initiate a swing. At the peak of the arc, he let go and flew above the trees. His arms then spread apart to glide again, shouting out, "Woohoo!" in excitement.

For a good while, Tatsumi moved through the forest, swinging, flipping, and gliding in any direction he felt like. The symbiote at one point stopped controlling his arms, letting Tatsumi aim while it simply fired a web line when needed. And Tatsumi never noticed.

Tatsumi eventually swung into a clearing, and with a quick flip, he landed right in front of a lake. He took a walked towards it and looked into his panting reflection. He never felt so alive in his entire life.The adrenaline coursing through his veins, his heart pounding in his chest, the power surging in his muscles. It felt so good! He couldn't wait to tell everyone about this.

"The village!" Tatsumi exclaimed. In all the excitement, he completely forgot about getting back home. "Okay, times up, I have to get back to my village now."

 ** _'Awww, but I want to have some more fun,'_** the symbiote whined.

"We've had enough fun for now. I need to go back. I don't want to make them worry more than I already have," Tatsumi sternly replied.

 ** _'Ugh, fine,'_** The symbiote groaned.

Tatsumi turned back to the forest and fired a web line, connecting it to the top of a tree before pulling himself towards it. He put a hand above his forehead and squinted his eyes while searching for something familiar. Off in the distance, he could faintly see the image of what he assumed to be the cliff he fell from. Based on the distance, it must've been miles away from where he was. Just how long was he swinging?

Setting his sights on his destination, he leaped off the tree and quickly moved through the forest like he did before.

"I could get used to this," Tatsumi commented aloud.

 ** _'Heh, this doesn't seem so bad now, does it?'_** the symbiote replied. With that, they let the silence take over, leaving Tatsumi to his own thoughts. He hoped that he could explain everything to his friends and loved ones as best as he could about the symbiote. Would they accept him? Treat him like they always had? Or would they fear him? Cast him out for what he had become.

Tatsumi shook those thoughts away. He'll cross that bridge when he gets there. Right now, he'll just enjoy the ride.

(Music End)

And that's a wrap. Damn this chapter took me longer then usually to finished. I hope all of you enjoy this as I had a lot of fun doing this, despite the time it took me to finish. Anyway I'll be going back to writing the Empire's Doomsday, but I will continue this series.Also, hope you guys liked the Toxin suit design as I wanted it to have the look of the original while adding the white spider on him as the symbiote will be a combination of Toxin and Vemon. But the symbiote will have Toxin's personality from the comics. Now if you you all excuse me, I got to rest my arm for a bit.

 **Special thanks to my beta-writer, Jade Fang Wolf, for redoing this. Now go ahead and read the second chapter. See you all soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys, Andrew78591, is back for a new chapter of Toxin Ga Kill! I'm really glad this fanfic is getting some good recgonition**. **Sorry if I haven't posted anything for awhile, I just entered a new semester of school, so this took a little longer. But, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.** **Also** **big shout out to my beta-reader, The Jade Fang Wolf, for helping me with this fanfic. This was a short introduction, so let's get this story started.**

 **Aaaaaannnnnnddddd begin**

Chapter 2: Adapting

 ** _Snowy Black Forest_** ** _Daytime_**

In the deep forest of the Snowy Black Forest were a group of veteren hunters. They were all around their 30s and had set of weapon to use. In front of the group was Obi with his sword on his back. Obi was very gloomy and sad from the look in his face. It looked like he didn't want to have a conversation with anyone. No one could blame him as he had just retieved news of what had happened to Tatsumi. He could still remember recieving the news.

( _Flashback_ )

 _Back_ _at Sahne Eis_ , _during the night, as Obi was with Tsubaki and_ _Tokugawa, just hanging out, at his house_ _they hear a knock from the door. Obi opens the door to see a_ _hunter in front of him. "Can I help you with something?" asked Obi. "It's about team 15, they've returned and are at the medical house. They have requested for you, Tsubaki, Tokigawa to come immediately." the hunter explained._ _Obi was a liitle shock by this, but he remained calm and made a stern face. "I'll get the other two," Obi said_

 ** _Sahne Eis, Medical House_**

 _As soon as Obi, Tsubaki, and Tokigawa made it to the medical house, they entered into the building and into one of the rooms to see Ieyusa and Sayo. I_ _eyasu was very injured as he a bunch of bandages on him and Sayo was looking very gloomy as if something bad happened._

 _"Ieyusa, Sayo, are you too alright?" said Tsubaki as she gets close to Sayo. As soon as Sayo saw her sister, she immtediately ran towards Tsubaki and hugs her tightly as she began cry._ _"Sayo, calm down, what's going on?" said Tsubaki confused while comforting her sister._

 _Tokigawa went to Ieyusa as he checked on the boy's injuries. "Jesus Ieyusa, what did you do to yourself?!" he yelled._ _Ieyusa only remained quiet as there was something in his mind. As Ieyusa and Sayo were being looked at, Obi realized that Tatsumi was nowhere to be seen. "Wait, where's Tatsumi?" he said as he was very concerned. Sayo cried even more just hearing the very name while Ieyusa gripped his fist_. _Ieyusa took a while before saying anything until he finally build up the courage to answer Obi. "Obi... Tatsumi's dead. He died, so we could live."_

 _The very words hit Obi_ _hard as he look with shock and horror from hearing the tragic news. He felt his entire world fell as he went to a nearby chair to sit down, putting his hands on his head to gather his thoughts together on what had happened. "No... no... no..." he said as he began to cry. Tsubaki and Tokigawa began to sorrow over this tragic news as they all had a look of sadness on them._

 _(Flashback end)_

"Oh, Tatsumi..." muttered Obi.

Obi and his team were currently looking for any of the other children that were still doing the Grand Hunt to retrieve them since the event was now over, as well as looking for the body of Tatsumi to bring home. So far, they found one group and had two veteran hunters go with them back to the village.

Feeling a hand land on his shoulder, Obi looked back to see Tokigawa.

"Don't worry Obi, we'll find Tatsumi's body and make sure he's buried right besides Kasai and Yuki. We'll search no matter how long it takes," said Tokigawa in attempt to make his friend feel better.

Hearing those words brought some ease to Obi. "Thank you, Tokigawa. That means a lot to me," he said.

Tokigawa replied with, "Any time, old friend."

As the group kept searching, one of them was struck by an arrow in the shoulder and cried out in pain. Everyone stood there in shock, but before they could help him, more arrows flew towards them.

"Take cover!" yelled Obi as he and everyone else hid behind the trees. Everyone readied their weapons and prepared to strike once the coast was clear.

"Well well well, look what have here, fellas," said a voice. Obi peeked his head out to see what they were facing. To his displeasure, he saw a group of seven bandits.

They where wearing snow pants and boots, coats with wool hoods, and shoulder cloaks. One, however, had a metal shoulder guard, a bandana covering his mouth, and a pair of goggles on his head. He had a sword, while three had bows, two had maces, and the last one had a halberd.

"Damn it, of all the things to deal with, it had to be bandits," said Tokigawa with his axe in hand.

"Come on out, hunters. We just want any valuable stuff you guys have, along with those weapons. If you do as we say, then all of you will die quick and painlessly," said the bandit with the bandana, signifying that he was the leader. "None of you are getting out of here alive, so might as well make it easy for everyone."

Seeing the situation at hand, Obi gave one of his archers some hand signals. The hunter nodded in understanding and readied an arrow for the right opportunity to strike.

"Well, hunters, are you going to give us what we want? Or do we need to do things the hard way?" Asked the leader with a hint of impatience in his voice.

'We don't have time for this,' thought Obi and gave a signal for the archer act. With that, the archer jumped out of his cover and fired an arrow at one of the bandit archers, the projectile going through her head and killing her instantly. The bandits were caught off guard by the sudden attack, but in their surpsrise, another arrow killed their other archer. The last bandit archer quickly readied her bow and fired an arrow just as her target fired his own. Both were struck by the other's arrow, the bandit getting shot in the neck while the hunter was shot through the eye, taking each other out.

The bandit leader looked at the situation with great anger.

"Mother fucker," he muttered. With the bandit archers now dead, the hunters could now engage in a close range confrontation.

"Charge!" Obi ordered. And with that, him, Tokigawa, and other hunter ran towards their opponents.

The bandit leader saw this and he yelled out to his group, "Kill them!"

As the two groups were about to clash, Tokigawa threw a small throwing knife at one of the mace wielders. However, the mace user blocked it with ease and was about to laugh at the failed attack, but was struck with an axe to his face. The throwing knife was a distraction for Tokigawa to strike.

The groups fought ferociously. The hunter wielding a hammer fought against another mace wielding bandit, Tokigawa fought with the halberd wielder, and Obi clashed swords with the bandit leader.

The hunter and bandit fought with their blunt weapons. While their swings were somewhat slow, there was a lot force behind each attack. In one of their swings, their weapons collided at the same time, the force causing both the wielders to drop their weapons. The hunter then tackled the bandit and wrestled with each other, both trying to gain the upper hand in this battle of strength.

Tokigawa was evading the halberd bandit. Using her weapons reach to her advantage, the bandit would always keep a distance that would allow her to hit Tokigawa while making sure he couldn't hit her. But an opening presented itself to Tokigawa, so he dashed towards her and punched her in the face. He followed with a swing from his axe, but the bandit recovered quickly from the punch and used her polearm to block it. They pushed against each other to try and tumble the other until Tokigawa kicked the bandit's foot, causing her to lose her footing and allowing him to push her away from him. When the bandit fell on her back, she rolled out the way of Tokigawa's axe before it would've embedded itself in her chest. Quickly getting on her feet, she twirled her halberd above her head to build up momentum before swinging at Tokigawa. The hunter brought up his axe up to block, but the strength the bandit put in her swing knocked the weapon out of his hands. The bandit rammed the bottom side of her weapon into Tokigawa's stomach, knocking the wind out of the him, and followed with a swing. Tokigawa ducked under the attack and ran at the bandit. The bandit couldn't react fast enough to Tokigawa's sudden action, and he grabbed her halberd in an attempt to pull it out of her hands. They spun and pulled the weapon in attempt to remove the others grip. Because Tokigawa was the stronger of the two, it seemed he would be the one to claim the weapon. The bandit wouldn't allow that, so she realed her head back and crashed her forehead onto his.

"Ahh!" Tokigawa stumbled back with a hand on his forehead. He hissed in pain and rubbed the area, already feeling a bump forming, and looked back at the bandit. Like him, she was trying to soothe the area of collision. The veteran hunter smiled a little.

"Clever little bitch..." Tokigawa muttered under his breath. He looked around the area and spotted his axe laying near him. He went over and picked it up before turning back at the bandit. The woman stopped treating her forehead and glared at Tokigawa. The two got into a fighting stance and charged at each other again.

With Obi and the bandit leader, the two had their swords locked and were trying to overpower the other.

"I gotta say, your a lot stronger than you look, old man, " said the bandit leader. "However..." The leader pushed Obi back and swung his sword at the hunter. Obi managed to evade the attack, but recieved a cut on his cheek. "Your old age is going to be your downfall."

The bandit leader swung at Obi again, but the hunter rolled under his attack and slashed at the leader's back, leaving a big gash on him and earning a cry of pain. He looked back at Obi with anger in his eyes.

"Same can be said about your overconfidence," Obi responded dryly. The bandit only responded with a growl and charged at Obi with his sword.

 ** _Snowy Black Forest, Cliffside._**

At the cliffside, we see Tatsumi, still wearing the symbiote, climbing back to where he fell from.

"Can you remind me why I can't fly if you can create wings?" asked Tatsumi.

 ** _'I'm not installed with everything, buddy. What, you think I can make you a bird just like that? I was lucky to have learned how to make these things in the first place!'_**

Tatsumi looked around his surroundings and said, "Well, whatever. Now that we're on top of the cliff, we can get back to my village in no time."

Shooting a webline towards a tree, Tatsumi began to swing through the forest. As they traveled, the boy decided to ask something to the symbiote, "Hey, you mind if I ask you a question?"

 ** _'Okay, shoot,'_** the symbiote said.

"Why do have a spider symbol on my back?"

 ** _'We share many of our abilities with those of spiders. That's because a spider had gotten near the meteorite I was in, so I absorbed it and grafted its DNA to my own.'_**

"What abilities did we get from the spider?"

 ** _'Well, we got some extra power in our muscles, webs, wall crawling, and even a paralyzing bite,'_** the symbiote explained.

"That's pretty cool. Wait, but that doesn't answer my first question," Tatsumi said and jabbed a thumb towards his spider symbol.

The symbiote stayed quiet for a few seconds before answering.

 ** _'... Because it looks cool.'_**

When Tatsumi deadpanned at the simple answer, the symbiote said **_'Don't judge me!'_**

"I didn't say anything," Tatsumi defended.

 ** _'You did it in your head!'_**

"No I didn't!"

 ** _'Yes you did!'_**

"No I-" Tatsumi took a deep breath to prevent himself from getting into an argument with the symbiote and continued, "Are there any other abilities we have? Because spiders don't magically sprout tendrils from their bodies."

The symbiote snarled before continuing. **_'While the spider did give us some nifty abilities, I have some of my own tricks. Like you said, I can create tendrils, but I can also heal you from bad injuries and enhance your sense of smell, just to name a few. Basically, I have everything you need to be a serious ass kicker.'_**

"Man, so many abilities. With all this, I could be one of the greatest hunters around. Maybe I'll even become the strongest fighter ever!" Tatsumi said in glee as he pictured all the fame he could get from his powers.

 ** _'Don't get so cocky. You're still a complete greenhorn. I wouldn't be surpsised if that bear tore you apart if you were in control. Just stick to swinging for now, k' buddy?'_**

Tatsumi grumbled, but didn't argue with it. The symbiote made a point. While these powers would definitely make him strong, he had to learn how to properly utilize them before he goes headlong into a dangerous situation.

 ** _'Good to see you're not completely stupid,'_** Said the symbiote.

Tasumi growled, but then sighed. "You're right. Once I explain what's happened to me, then I'll start my training with you. Since we are partners now, I'll have to know everything we're capable of," said Tatsumi.

 ** _'Hehehehe, glad to hear you start embracing our union.'_**

"What else can I do? You're clinging to me like skin to bone."

 ** _'Don't pretend you don't like this,'_** The symbiote chucked.

As they continued their way back to Sahne Eis, something caught Tatsumi's attention.

Stopping on a tree branch, Tatsumi sniffed the air. "Is that blood?"

 ** _'Probably some wild danger beast eating its prey. Nothing too important,'_** The symbiote shrugged off.

"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right about this. I say we check it out," said Tatsumi.

 ** _'Are you kidding me? Didn't you say you wanted to get back your village as soon as possible?'_** The symbiote complained. ** _'If we follow it, we could get lost and we'll never get back.'_**

"I know what I said, but I want to see what's going on over there. Once we check it out, we'll get back on track. It'll be quick, I promise."

While the symbiote wasn't too keen on going on what could be a wild goose chase, it knew the boy wouldn't be satisfied until his curiosity was satiated.

 ** _'Ugh, fine, let's go check it out,'_** Groaned the symbiote. ** _'But I'll be in control for now, got it?'_**

"Why can't I be in control?" Tatsumi asked.

 ** _'Because like I said before, you don't know how to use our power and that could really bite our ass,'_** The symbiote explained. ** _'That, and I wanna have SOME fun.'_**

"...Fine," Tatsumi relented. The mask of the suit split apart to show the symbiote's fangs.

 **"Glad you see things my way,"** The symbiote said using Tatsumi's mouth. And with that, they swung their way to where the smell was coming from.

Back with Obi, he and the other hunters weren't doing too well. He had multiple cuts all over his body and was struggling against the bandit leader. The pain and exhaustion he felt made it hard to just hold his sword, much less fight.

The other remaining hunters weren't doing so well. Tokigawa was pinned to the ground with the steel tip of a halberd near his neck. Another hunter had his arm smashed to pieces and was groveling in pain. The culprit looked down at him with a grin, holding his mace with pride.

Obi did downward slash, but the leader blocked it with his sword and kneed Obi in the stomach. He dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach before he was kicked to the ground.

"You were pretty, good old man, but not good enough," Said the bandit leader.

Obi looked at the bandit raising his sword and closed his eyes. At the very least, he was going to be with Tatsumi and his parents again in the afterlife.

But before the bandit leader could end Obi, he was hit in the chest by some kind of projectile and knocked to the ground. When the bandit leader got up, he looked at his chest and saw that some kind of black webbing covered it.

"Huh?" The bandit leader tried to rip it off, but the webbing just wouldn't come off. "What is this crap?"

While he struggled, a bandit had tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Uh, boss?"

The leader turned to him and yelled "What!?" When the bandit only pointed at something, the leader followed his gaze to see what was so important. Perched on a tree stood the symbiote-possessed Tatsumi with a smile.

 **"It's not very nice to harass an old man like that, you know. Didn't your parents ever teach you respect your elders?"** It said and jumped down to the ground.

"What the hell are you?" Asked the bandit leader, who stopped trying to remove the webbing and readied his sword.

 **"What, do my looks bother you?"** A long black tongue slithered out the symbiote's mouth and flicked around before retracing. **"Well, sorry, but not all of us are blessed with drop dead gorgeous looks."**

"Don't just stand there, you two! Get that freak!" Commanded the bandit leader to his cohorts.

 **"Freak? Well, I never. Someone should really teach you guys some manners,"** Tatsumi said while he brandished his claws.

While the bandit with the mace looked a little uncertain to attack this odd creature, the one with the halberd charged at the symbiote with a battle cry. She attempted to impale her target, but the symbiote cartwheeled out of of the way. She quickly spun around and swung her weapon to decapitate the symbiote, but it ducked under the attack. She then thrusted her weapon again, but it backflipped away.

 **"It helps if you put actual effort in your attacks,"** The symbiote mocked. When the woman growled, the alien followed with, **"Wait, you're actually trying to hit me? Wow, that's sad, hahaha!"**

"Why you..." The woman growled and tried to attack again, but the symbiote moved incredibly fast and punched her hard so hard that she slammed into a tree that was a good distance away.

 **"Oops, I think I might've broken a nail on accident,"** The symbiote said while looking at one of its claws, acting unaware of the looks of shock it got from everyone else.

The other bandit stood slackejawed at the raw power the alien displayed before his leader turned him around to face him. "Don't just stand there like an idiot, do something!" The leader ordered and pushed his lackey forward. The bandit looked at his leader, then back at the alien with fear.

 **"I agree with loudmouth. Come on, do something that'll wow me,"** The symbiote said while still looking at it's claws.

The bandit decided to throw away his fear and charged at the symbiote with his mace raised. But when he brought his weapon down on it, the alien casually raised a hand and caught the weapon.

"Huh?" The bandit let out a sound of confusion when he saw that his mace had stopped so suddenly. When he tried to pull away, the weapon would not leave the alien's hand. He struggled to get it free from the symbiote's hand while the creature continued to look at its claw while humming to itself. Eventually, the symbiote yawned and looked at the bandit with a grin.

 **"Nice try,"** It said. An orange tendril sprouted from its back and wrapped around the bandit's neck, lifting him into the air. The bandit struggled to free himself, desperately gasping for air. He clawed at the tendril and kicked wildly to get free. But it was no use. Eventually, his struggles weakened and his vision started filling with black spots. Just before he lost consciousness, he felt the tendril let go of him and let him hit the ground.

With those bandits out of the way, the symbiote turned towards the astonished leader.

 **"Looks like you're next,"** said the symbiote with a giggle.

The bandit leader snarled and got into a fighting stance. "Whatever. I don't need them anyway. I can take you on solo," He said arrogantly.

 **"Oho, look at mister big shot here. Real excited to get your ass kicked, huh?"** The symbiote joked.

"Tch, you won't be so cocky when my sword is sticking out of your chest."

The symbiote chuckled, **"Is that so? In that case..."** They pointed towards their chest and a small white x had taken form over where their heart should be. **"Here, a nice clear target. That should make things little easier for you. Now, what are you waiting for? I'm ready!"**

The bandit leader ran towards the symbiote and slashed at them. However, they leaped backwards before the attack landed.

 **"Were you not listening? I said I'm ready,"** the symbiote mocked.

This irritated the bandit and increased the speed of his attacks. As expected, none of the attacks could hit. He even changed his stance a couple of times for a surprise attack, but it didn't work. After dodging one of his attacks, it decided to finally make its own move and punched the bandit in the face, knocking him to the ground.

 **"Come on, is that all you got?"** Asked the symbiote.

The bandit growled in anger and got up to charge at the symbiote. Instead of trying to dodge, they instead blocked with their claws.

The symbiote sighed in disappointment. **"Guess you're not as tough as I thought you were."** They then grabbed the bandit's wrist, pulled it close to their mouth, and sunk their teeth into his flesh.

The bandit screamed in pain and pulled himself away from the creature. Looking at the bite, he saw the blood oozing out of the newly made holes. He turned back to the grinning alien with a glare.

"You son of a bitch! I'm gonna butcher you like a pig when I get my hands on you!" The bandit yelled and charged at the symbiote, wildly swinging in an attempt to injure it at least once. As expected, the symbiote continued to dodge him effortlessly. But as this continued, the bandit started acting strangely. His movements were slowing down considerably, his attacks became more uncoordinated, and every time he took a step, he swayed and stumbled. It was like he was completed drunk.

The bandit eventually collapsed on the ground. His body felt numb and heavy. All he could do were basic actions like slightly move a finger or breath. And even those things required a considerable amount of effort. The symbiote calmly walked over to the bandit and crouched next his face, saying, **"Feeling a little under the weather, buddy?"**

"What.. did you... do to me?" The bandit struggled to say.

 **"Let's just say I have a pretty nasty bite,"** the symbiote replied. **"Don't worry, you'll be up and about in a few minutes or so. Which means I have just enough time..."** The symbiote grabbed the bandit by the neck and lifted him into the air. **"To make you pay for your misdeeds."**

"P-please, don't..." The bandit pleaded. "I just... just steal stuff. J-just let me go and I'll-"

The symbiote cut him off with their laughter. **"You really think I'm going to let you go after what you and your gang did?"**

The bandit was turned around so he could see the three hunters observing what was going on.

 **"Not only did you hurt an innocent group of hunters, one of whom is very close to my partner, but you also killed someone. He probably has a family waiting for him to return. Maybe a loving wife or a young child. Imagine what their faces will look like when they find out he's never coming back. Imagine the pain and grief you inflicted on them. And for what, some equipment you can sell for a quick buck? Your a heartless killer. So you will be punished,"**

The bandit was turned back to face the grinning symbiote. **"In the most painful and heartless way imaginable."**

Tears began to roll down the bandits face. If it wasn't for his current state, he'd be bawling and thrashing. "No, no, no..."

 **"Oh, yes, yes, yes,"** The symbiote said, relishing the fear in his eyes. **"You need to be punished. And since you're a thief, I'll do it by taking something important from you. Your life!"**

The symbiote licked their lips and said, **"Your brain has undoubtedly gotten big and juicy over the years. Yet it's being waisted on an idiot like you. I think I'll eat it!"**

The bandit leader was absolutely horrified. He tried forcing his body to make any sort of movement that would help him. But the venom in him would not allow him. He was completely helpless in the face of this monster.

 **"Just thinking about the delicious, eggy taste makes me absolutely hungry."** The symbiote's hands clutched the bandit leader's head tightly. **"I just want to CRUSH your head and chow down on all that brain matter! But that wouldn't be right. I should take it slow and savor it. Make it last as long as I can. That way, I'll enjoy every single piece of skin I bite off your face to the fullest."**

The symbiote's mouth opens unnaturally wide and slowly brings the bandit's face closer to it. He could do nothing but watch in horror as the fangs drew closer, dripping saliva on his face. He closed his eyes, sobbing pathetically as he waited his torture to begin.

But it never did.

The bandit slowly opened his eyes in confusion and saw the symbiote starring at him with a smile before they started laughing.

 **Bahahahahaha! I can't believe you actually fell for that! Hahahahahaha!"** They said between their bouts of laughter.

"W-what?"

 **"I wasn't actually going to eat your brain! It was just a little joke I wanted to do. Besides, why would I eat your brain when I can have more fun punching the snot out of you?"**

The second they finished talking, the bandit leader was hit with a hard punch to the face, knocking him out instantly.

 **"Like so."**

Dropping the unconscious bandit, the symbiote turned towards the remaining hunters, who all stared at them with confusion and uncertainty. The fanged mouth of the symbiote was covered up and started to walk towards them. Seeing them approach, Obi grabbed his sword and stood between the hunters and the symbiote.

"Stay back," Obi said as he pointed his sword at the creature. It was difficult to even stand due to his injuries, much less fight, but it wouldn't stop him from trying if it was necessary. " I don't know what you are, but if you take another step without so much as a god damn explanation..."

 **"Obi, please calm down,"** the creature said while holding up their arms. Their voice was no longer had the second deeper voice. The veteran flinched. That voice. It sounded familiar. Not only that, but they knew his name.

"How the hell do you know my name?"

 **"Because it's me, Obi."** The symbiote peels away from Tatsumi's face. "Tatsumi..."

Obi gasps in shock at the sight before him. Right there, in the flesh stood the boy he thought he lost forever. "Tatsumi...?" He whispers, dropping his sword. He took a few steps towards the boy before he heard Tokigawa call out, "Obi, wait, it could be a trick! For all we know, that thing could just be disguised as him."

"But he knows my name. It has to be him," said Obi.

"Tokigawa," said Tatsumi, looking over to said hunter. "You're the most well known axe weilder back in Sahne Eis. You have a nephew named Ieyasu and tend get into arguments with him when he does stupid things."

Seeing the look of shock on Tokigawa's face, Tatsumi turns back to Obi. "And Obi, you were the most famous hunter in our village. You were planning on leaving to travel the world and hunt stronger danger beasts. But when Kasai and Yuki, my parents, died in hunt, you saw that I needed someone to take care of me. So you gave up your dream to be my caretaker." Tatsumi's eyes welled up with tears as he says, "And I've never been more grateful."

Obi ran towards Tatsumi and hugged him as tight as he could. "My boy, you're alive!" He says with tears of joy.

They hugged for a while until Obi pulled away and asked, "But how is this possible? I was told you fell off a cliff and plummeted to your death."

"Well, that's kinda hard to explain..." Tatsumi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"I just saw you take the form of a monster and singlehandedly take down a group of bandits. Try me," Obi said.

"Trust me, it gets even weirder. But before I say anything else, I wanna get back home. Last thing I want is more bandits or a danger beast to show up," said Tatsumi.

Obi nods in understanding. Though he wanted answers, now was not the time or place. "Okay, Tatsumi, if that's what you want. We needed to head back anyway," he said as he gestured to Tokigawa making a makeshift cast for the hunter with the broken arm.

"Sorry for not getting here sooner," Tatsumi apologized.

"Don't be. If you hadn't shown up at all, we wouldn't even be alive right now. You did good," Said Obi.

"But not everyone survived..." Tatsumi gazed mournfully at the corpse of the dead hunter with an arrow sticking out of his skull. "If only I was just a little faster..."

Obi sighed as he stroked his moustache. "Sometimes, innocent people die. Sometimes for a reason, sometimes for no reason. It's unfair, but that's life. The best we can do is not dwell on it. Move forward and help the people that are alive. You understand what I'm saying?"

Tatsumi looked at Obi for a few seconds before smiling. "I think I do. Thanks. Oh, before we go..."

The boy turns around and aims an arm towards the three unconscious bandits. Obi was about to question what he was doing when web lines fired from his hands and stuck to the bandits. With a small pull, the bandits were launched towards Tatsumi, who easily caught them within his arms like they were dummies.

"We can't leave these three behind. They could freeze to death out here. They'll be much better off in a warm and cozy jail cell," Tatsumi says while his symbiote spread from his arms and onto the bandits, wrapping them in a dark blue cocoon that was sure to keep them restrained in case one of them woke up.

"Err, okay..." Obi said, unsure of what to make of Tatsumi's newfound abilities.

 ** _Sahne Eis, Medical House_**

Back at the village, in the large cabin that was the medical house, Ieyasu and Sayo were in their beds, still recovering from there injuries. Sayo only had a few bruises, so she should be fine with some rest. The worst injury she had was a slash wound she received on her left arm, which was wrapped up in bandages. Ieyasu, on the other hand, was wrapped in so many bandages that he looked like a mummy.

Ever since Obi and the other hunters left, the two just laid in silence. After what happened to Tatsumi, they couldn't bring themselves to do anything. The only thing they could think about was the fight with the ursa and the different actions they could've taken that would've saved Tatsumi.

The door to their room opened and in walked Tsubaki, who had been assigned to keep an eye on the two.

"Man, this place needs some serious redecorating. It's so empty and lifeless. Would it kill them to add a vase of flowers or something?" Tsubaki said to her sister, but Sayo remained silent. Tsubaki sighs sadly. "Sayo, please say something. I know you're still hurting, but sulking isn't going to fix anything," She said, but Sayo was still silent.

Tsubaki turns to Ieyasu, who was starring at the ceiling in sorrow. "Ieyasu, come on. You always have something to say," Tsubaki said, but still got no response.

Tsubaki sighs sadly. She hated seeing them like this. She wanted to cheer them up, even just a little bit. An idea then popped and she smiled mischievously to herself.

"Hey Ieyasu, have I ever told you my sister's breast size?" Tsubaki asked playfully. Both Ieyasu and Sayo immediately jerked their heads in Tsubaki's direction.

"Their close to being D-sized. I'm so proud," Tsubaki said happily. as Ieyusa was smiling while also drooled little.

"Sis?!" Sayo shouted with a dark blush on her face.

"Awww, look at you all embarrassed. You look like a tomato. A very ripe tomato," Tsubaki as she giggled at her sister's little torment.

Ieyasu on the other hand was giggling gleefully to himself, blushing as lewd thoughts went through his head. He was brought out of his thoughts when Tsubaki said, "Well, Ieyasu, now that you learned something about Sayo, it's only fair that she learns something about you."

"Huh?" Ieyasu stared at her confused.

"Did you know that Ieyasu has a birthmark that looks like the letter M on his left arm? Tokigawa even called him Mr. M because of it," Tsubaki said snickering.

Sayo's look surprised before she bursted into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Oh my god, get the fuck out! Hahahahahah! I-I-I can't breathe!"

Tsubaki joined in her sister's laughter. However, Ieyasu wasn't finding any shred of joy in this, hanging his head low in embarrassment and waiting for this torment to end.

Tsubaki giggled and patted Ieyasu's shoulder. "Come on Ieyasu, it was just a joke. Besides, both of you got something good at the other's expense, am I right?"

Ieyasu and Sayo looked at each other before turning back to Tsubaki with a smile. "Yeah, we did," said Ieyasu.

"Thanks, Tsubaki. We really needed that," said Sayo.

Tsubaki embraces her younger sister in a comforting hug and said, "Of course. I know you guys lost someone special, but Tatsumi wouldn't have wanted you guys to be like this. He would have wanted you both to be happy and live long lives. So please, smile a little more, okay?"

"Okay," Sayo softly replied while hugging her sister back.

"Hey, Tsubaki, can I get a hug too?" asked Ieyasu, ruining the moment.

"Really?" Sayo asked with a deadpan look on her face. Tsubaki simply answered with, "Okay," and went over to him. Unfortunately for Ieyasu, he forgot that his body was in a really bad shape, and as a result...

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" The boy cried in pain, making Tsubaki release him.

"Wow, Ieyasu, now I see why Tokigawa calls you an idiot so much," said Tsubaki, earning a growl from Ieyasu and a giggle from Sayo.

The three then heard knocking coming from the door. "I'll check it out," said Tsubaki as she went to see who it was. When she opened the door, her eyes went as wide as dinner plates...

"Tatsumi..." Tsubaki whispered in shock.

"You say something, sis?" asked Sayo. Tsubaki looked over to her sister and stepped away from the door, allowing the Sayo and Ieyasu to see the friend they thought they lost.

The sight of seeing Tatsumi, their long time friend, alive and well, shocked them to say the very least. Sayo's hands covered her mouth and tears started running down her face. Ieyasu sat up on his bed while his mind frantically tried to identify if this was a hallucination or reality.

"Tatsumi..." Ieyasu muttered in disbelief.

Everyone stood completely still, unsure of what to say or do. An unknown amount of time passed before Tatsumi decided to break the tension.

"Hey guys, you two okay?"

Sayo almost instantly got off her bed and ran towards Tatsumi to embrace him.

"You're alive... Y-you're really alive...," Sayo croaked out. Tatsumi smiled and hugged her back, stroking her back while she sobbed on his shoulder.

Ieyasu stared in scene in silence until a slight a chuckle escaped his lips. He then started giggling. And soon after that, he started laughing as tears went down his face. "You really gave us a scare, man! Good to have 'ya back!"

Now it was Tatsumi's turn to get teary eyed. "Good to be back," He said. Tsubaki watched the scene with a big smile, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

The group remained like this for a while, simply enjoying the reunion. After a while, they asked him how he survived, but he refused to answer the question, stating he wanted for Obi to be present. Though they really wanted to know, they respected his decision. What he did explain was that he found Obi and his group and they brought him back to the village. But on the way, they got themselves into a nasty run in with some bandits. Aside from him, most of them got hurt pretty bad and are currently in another room getting attended on by the staff. Some time passes and Obi along with Tokigawa and the other hunter, identified as Torr, entered the room with some bandages wrapped around their injuries. Along with them was a doctor. He told them that the older hunters only needed some rest and they'll be back to top condition in due time, but wanted to give Tatsumi a check up. The boy told him he didn't need one, but the doctor insisted, saying that with what he heard had happened to Tatsumi, he wanted to make sure he didn't have any serious injuries. So Tatsumi complied and left with him. A while later, Tatsumi and the doctor came back to the room, the latter of the two looking a little concerned.

"Doctor, is he alright?" asked Obi.

"He's fine, Obi. Tatsumi is in top physical condition," the doctor responded. "But that's the strange thing. From what Ieyasu and Sayo told me, Tatsumi should have severe injuries. Honestly, he should be dead. Yet here he is with not a scratch on him."

While Tatsumi's friends and Tsubaki were surprised, the older group of hunters were seemingly unphased.

"How is that even possible?" Questioned Tsubaki. She looked over to the younger hunters and asked, "Sayo, Ieyasu, are you sure you saw Tatsumi fall off a cliff?"

When the younger hunters nodded their heads, Tsubaki looked back at Tatsumi and asked, "Then how are you so healthy?"

"And more importantly, what was that thing you turned into?" Everyone turned their attention to Torr, who had his broken arm in a cast.

"Torr, what are you talking about? What thing?" asked Ieyasu.

"That's what we want to know," he replied.

"Torr, make sense, please," Tsubski said.

"Tsubaki, remember how I said that we were attack by bandits?" Asked Obi.

Tsubaki nodded and said, "Yeah, why?"

"Well, the battle wasn't in our favor. Even when we took out a few of them, they beat us and killed our archer. We would have died if it wasn't for Tatsumi coming in and taking them down one by one. However, it's HOW he took them down that still confuses us."

Everyone, other than the older hunters and Tatsumi, were shocked by what Obi was saying.

"But how could he do that?" Tsubaki asked.

"I believe Tatsumi should be the one to explain this to all of you," Obi said while glancing over to his adoptive son.

Everyone turned their attention to Tatsumi. The boy was at this point very nervous. He knew he had to explain what had happened to him, but it wasn't going to be easy.

"What I'm about to tell you... Well, show you isn't going to be easy to explain, so please understand and try not to freak out too much."

"Tatsumi, it's okay. You can tell us anything," said Sayo. Ieyasu chimed in agreement. "Yeah, just tell us what you need to say."

Tokigawa spoke up, "Tatsumi, while this won't be easy to explain, Ieyasu and Sayo deserve to know. Same goes with everyone else in this room."

Tatsumi inhaled deeply and sighed. "Okay, but first, we need the doors closed and windows covered. If I'm going to explain anything, I want this to be kept a secret. At least for now, no one can know about this."

While some were confused by this request, they decided to comply. So Tatsumi locked the door while Tsubaki and the doctor closed the window curtains. With that, everyone turned their attention back to Tatsumi.

"Okay, let's do this." Said Tatsumi. After that, everyone watched in shock and awe as the orange and blue slime came out of him and covered his body to form some kind of suit.

"What the hell...?" Muttered Ieyasu.

After the mask formed over Tatsumi's face, it split open to reveal a fanged mouth.

 **"Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all and introduce myself properly,"** said the symbiote with a smile.

Everyone were taken back by the sight of this thing. Even the hunters that already saw him did the same thing as they're still not use to seeing this creature. The symbiote looked at everyone as they all felt uncomfortable around him.

Then the symbiote looked at the injured hunters. **"Oh, hey guys. Looks like you all made it out fine. Even the old man,"** they said.

"Stop calling me that. I'm not old," Obi said.

 **"Keep telling yourself that, old man,"** The symbiote replied with a chuckle.

The symbiote approached the doctor, who looked noticeably shaken up by the creature. **"What's wrong, doc? You look so pale and sweaty. Do you want me to check your temperature?"** they said with a wide smile, showing their wicked fangs. The doctor stumbled backwards in fright and fell on his back. **"Yeah, you're right. You're the doctor, so you should know what's best for you,"** the symbiote chuckled. They then turned to Sayo and Ieyasu.

 **"Well, if it isn't the two bestest friends of my partner. You guys look pretty good despite your injuries,"** the symbiote said as they walked towards them. But Tsubaki stepped between them and the symbiote, aiming her crossbow at the alien threateningly.

"Not. Another. Step," she said firmly.

 **"Whoa, easy there, trigger happy,"** Said the symbiote as they backed away from Tsubaki with their hands up.

"If you think that I would let you get anywhere near them, then you're soley mistaken," Tsubaki said threateningly.

"Tsubaki, stand down, now," Obi ordered.

"Are you mad?" Tsubaki snapped at him. "You bring this... this thing in here and expect me to lower my weapon?"

"Tsubaki," Tokigawa called out. "I know it looks threatening, but if it wasn't for its help, we wouldn't even be here. And besides, are you forgetting that Tatsumi is a part of it? If you try to kill it, you'll kill the boy as well."

Tsubaki flinched at his response. She couldn't kill Tatsumi. He meant a lot to her and everyone else. Most importantly, he meant a lot to Ieyasu and Sayo.

While she didn't like this, the huntress, begrudgingly lowered her weapon and backed away from the symbiote.

"Fine. But if that thing tries anything, I'm taking it out," Tsubaki stated sternly.

 **"Geez, why is it that whenever I do something nice, people start acting hostile? I help the old man, he points a sword at me. I save Tatsumi TWICE, and he tries to throw me away. Honestly, you humans have no sense of gratitude,"** the symbiote complained.

"Wait, you saved Tatsumi?" questioned Sayo.

 **"Yup. Like these hunters and old man, I saved your precious friend from dying as a stain on the ground,"** answered the symbiote.

Ieyasu started bombarding them with questions. "But how? Why are you attached to him? What even are you? Where did you come from? Why'd you help-"

 **"Slow down!"** The symbiote snapped. **"I can't explain anything if you keep blabbing."**

"Well sorry, I was just curious..." Ieyasu grumbled.

The symbiote huffed in annoyance. **"Moving on, Tatsumi wanted me to give you my story. So all of you sit back, relax, and let me tell my tale. Ask any unanswered questions AFTER I'm done. And most importantly,"** they looked over to Ieyasu and said, **"one question at a time,"** which earned a glare from the boy.

While some were a little annoyed by the symbiote's attitude, they decided to just stay quiet and let it talk.

The symbiote fires a web line to an empty chair and pulls it towards them. After positioning the chair backwards and sitting on it, they said, **"It all started in a galaxy far, far away."**

"What?" Asked Sayo.

For the next few minutes, the symbiote explained what they were, as well as how they met Tatsumi. All the while, the rest payed close attention to every single word they said, and by the end of it, they were left completely dumbfounded.

 **"And that's everything you need to know about me and how Tatsumi and I became partners. Now, any questions?"** said the symbiote.

Ieyasu raised his hand and gets the symbiote's attention. "Yeah. I got one. Are you able to shapeshift yourself to look like someone else?" The boy asked.

 **"Maybe. I haven't tried that yet, but I don't think it'd be too hard,"** the symbiote replied.

"So does that mean that you can change hot woman by any chance?" Ieyasu asked with a giddy expression.

The symbiote gave Ieyasu a blank look before turning to Tokigawa.

"This is what I live with," Tokigawa said with a sigh.

"Hey!" Ieyasu shouted in anger.

The symbiote looks over to the rest of the group and asks, **"Does anyone else have any questions? Preferably none that are completely stupid."**

"HEY!!!"

Sayo raised her hand, bringing the symbiote's attention to her. "So, you really don't know your name or where you came from?" she asked.

 **"No, it's all completely blank,"** replied the symbiote.

"Ohhh, I'm so sorry to hear that. It must be terrible not remembering here you came from," said Sayo sympatheticly.

The symbiote shrugged nonchalantly and said, **"Don't worry about it. They'll probably come back eventually. And if not, then whatever."**

 **"Anyway, seeing as there's no more questions, I'll let Tatsumi take it from here. Nice meeting you all."**

With that, the symbiote receded back into Tatsumi's body, relinquishing control to the boy again. He was quiet for a moment before nervously asking, "So, what'd you think of "him"?

"Tatsumi, this is insane," said Tsubaki. "How do we know what anything it's saying is true? It could probably be planning to suck your insides dry, or start some alien uprising or... I don't know, something else horrible."

"I know it's crazy, but if it wasn't for it, I would be dead. It saved my life. And honestly, I feel better than I ever was. Please, just trust me on this," Tatsumi pleaded. The group looked between each other, all trying to decide wether or not to agree. And the longer this went on, the more and more stressed Tatsumi became.

"Tatsumi," Started Sayo. "This is really, really, REALLY weird... After all, you need to be on check by me."

"He's an asshole, but for your sake, I'll try to tolerate him," said Ieyasu.

"While this is certainly a big change, I'll still be with there for you, no matter what," Obi said to his boy.

"I'll stay by your side as well. After all, Sayo and Ieyasu just got you back. We can't let them lose you again," said Tokigawa.

Tsubaki stood in silence, still insure about this. Feeling a hand on her wrist, she turned her attention to the pleading eyes of her sister.

"While I don't completely trust this thing, if my sister believes that we can work this out, then I'm all for it. But, I will keep an eye on it, just in case."

"Guys" said Tatsumi happily as he's glad that the most important people to him were going to stick by him even with this symbiote on him.

Tokigawa then turned to Torr, "What about you, Torr? You willing to keep this secret?"

"Fine by me," the veteran hunter said. "Kid saved my life. The least I could do is keep my mouth shut."

Tokigawa turned to the doctor and asked the same question. The doctor replied with, "As long as you're able to handle this, then I'm fine." He then turns to the boy and adds, "If you want, Tatsumi, you can come see me so I can make sure the symbiote isn't causing any unwanted effects to your health."

"Sure," Tatsumi said.

"Well, that settles it then," said Obi. "The symbiote will remain a secret for now."

Tatsumi smiles and releases a breath he didn't know he was holding.

 ** _'Looks like things worked out,'_** said the symbiote in his head. **_'Now we can move onto a more serious matter.'_**

Tatsumi raised a brow, "What's that?"

 ** _'Giving me a name, you moron! I can't go around just being called a symbiote. That'd be like calling you "Human" all the time.'_**

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Tatsumi agreed. "Hey guys, now that things have settled down, you mind helping me come up with a name for it?"

Everyone looked between each other before voicing their agreement. "Sure," Sayo shrugged.

The symbiote suddenly formed over Tatsumi once again and took control. **"Try to think of something creative. Something that just rolls off the tongue,"** they said.

"Ooh, ooh, ooh," said Ieyasu as he got everyone's attention, "Since you have spider powers, how about we call you Spidey?"

The symbiote rubbed their chin in thought before shaking their head, **"Nah. Doesn't feel me."**

"What about Fang?" Obi suggested.

 **"Meh, pass."**

"Webs?" suggested Torr.

 **"Are you even trying?"** The symbiote asked with a deadpan look.

"Gooey," suggested Tsubaki.

 **"Ugh, no. Just... just no,"** the symbiote instantly dejected.

"Toxin?"

The group turned to the person who suggested the name, which was the doctor, with quizzical expressions. "Why Toxin?" Asked Tsubaki.

"The symbiote is capable of producing a potent neurotoxin that induces paralysis, so I figured we could call him... err, it... the symbiote Toxin," the doctor explained.

 **"Toxin... Toxin..."** The symbiote quietly repeated the name to themself. They then smiled and said, **"I love it!"**

"Well, then that's settled," Obi commented.

"It's an odd name choice, but I like it," said Sayo.

"Congratulations, you got a name. Can we get Tatsumi back now?" Said Tsubaki.

 **"Why are in such a rush?"** Asked Toxin with a grin as they approached Tsubaki. **"Am I too ugly to be around?"** Toxin got up in Tsubaki's face and asked, **"Do my big teeth and claws bother you that much?"**

Tsubaki pushed Toxin away from her with a scoff, saying,' "If you're trying to scare me, it's not going to work. I'm a hunter. Dealing with scary things is literally my job."

 **"That so? Then I'll just have to get under your skin another way,"** Toxin said with a chuckle.

"What do you-"

Toxin's tongue landed on her cheek and gave her a long and slow lick. Everyone stared at Tsubaki, who was wide eyed and completely still. Soon, her left eye started to twitch. Then she started to shake.

"Sis, are you-?"

Tsubaki held out her hand to stop her sister from speaking. The huntresse took some deep, calming breaths...

Before she screamed so loud, it was likely that half the village heard her.

After Tsubaki ran out of the room for the nearest place to wash the saliva off her face, everyone turned to the snickering Toxin.

 **"I like her."**

 ** _Sahne Eis, Medical House Rooftop_**

Lying atop the roof, Tatsumi gazed at the stars. While everyone else was asleep inside the Medical House, Tatsumi couldn't get himself to join them. There was too much on his mind right now. So he figured he could just take some time to watch the stars. The calm atmosphere and the beautiful sky always managed to soothe him. But unfortunately, his new friend didn't have the same liking to this as him.

 ** _'This is boring,'_** Toxin complained. **_'Let's go do something fun, like swing through the forest again.'_**

"Not now, Toxin. We'll do it tomorrow," Tatsumi replied.

 ** _'Come ooon. Don't you wanna feel the wind on your face and the adrenaline in your veins?'_** Toxin insisted.

"I said no and I mean it. Give it a rest," Tatsumi replied in a stern tone.

 ** _'But whyyy?'_** Toxin whined.

Tatsumi quickly sat up and shouted, "Because I'm tired! Now give it a rest!"

 ** _'Ugh, fine, let's stay here and watch the sky for hours. That's waaay more fun. After this, let's go watch some grass grow or paint dry,'_** Toxin replied sarcastically.

Tatsumi huffed and laid back down, commenting, "Never thought an alien could be so bratty."

 ** _'And I never thought someone who would want to dedicate their lives to hunting beasts would be such a spoilsport. Guess we're BOTH disappointed.'_** Tatsumi growled. "Look, I've had a long day. Not only did I wake up with an ALIEN attached to me THIS MORNING after NEARLY DYING, now I have to deal with the villagers and how they'll react to said alien. Not to mention how you act."

 ** _'What do you mean "how I act"?_** ' Toxin questioned with a growl.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Or do I need to remind you about you're "joke"?"

 ** _'Ah, that. Are you still so worked up over it?'_**

"Yes, I am!" Tatsumi nearly half shouted. "What the hell were you thinking?!"

 ** _'I was thinking that I should do what you wanted to do,'_** Toxin replied in an annoyed tone.

"What are you talking abo-"

Toxin cut off Tatsumi's question, **_'Don't play innocent with me. You wanted him dead the second you saw him hurt your old man. I just acted on your desires.'_**

"You're wrong, I just wanted to stop him."

 ** _'Stop lying, Tatsumi. We share a conscious now. Everything you think, I will know. And I know that you wanted that you wanted to take his life and hear him scream and beg while you're doing it.'_**

"I... I didn't..." Tatsumi tried to think of something to say that would refute Toxin's claims, but none came to mind. Everything they said was the truth, and he knew it.

"You're right," Tatsumi said in defeat. "I wanted to kill him. I wanted him to make him suffer as long as I could. But I was angry. And acting on my anger is wrong. Killing is wrong."

 ** _'If killing is so bad, then why did the old man and the hunters kill, huh?'_** Toxin questioned, recalling Obi mentioning that they had killed some bandits before they arrived

"Because sometimes, killing is the only option," Tatsumi explained.

 ** _'Ohh, so killing is bad, except when it's not. That makes complete sense,'_** the symbiote said sarcastically.

"Killing is bad when it can be avoided. It's even worse when you try to do it in a horrible way."

Tatsumi heard what sounded like a scoff before Toxin continued, **_'He was gonna rob a group of people, kill them and leave their corpses in the snow for the animals, and you're telling me he didn't deserve what I was gonna do? You're too soft.'_**

"Say what you want about me, but like it or not, you're gonna have to follow my rules if you want to stay with me," Tatsumi sternly told Toxin. There was some silence before Tatsumi heard them begrudgingly say, **_'Fine.'_**

"Good. Now do me a favor and shut up so I can finally relax."

Toxin grumbled in annoyance as their voice faded away from Tatsumi's head, leaving him with the silence he so wished.

Going back to gazing at the stars, Tatsumi said to himself, "This is my life now..."

 **And, that's a wrap. Again sorry for taking to long with this** **. Also, thank you all for your name suggestions you guys gave me. I appreiate that. Now with** **the questions I got for this fanfic:**

 **First question asks if Toxin will eat brains like Venom and if I'll follow the same cannon plot or do a different approach to it? Next chapter will explain Toxin's diet and yes the story will be different from the cannon story.**

 **Next question asks if Toxin will have the same weaknesses to fire and loud sound? Of course he will, it's a main staple for the symbiotes to have these weaknesses.** **This one asks if I'm going to do a Akame Ga Kill!Thanos crossover. I'm doing it along with Darksied.**

 **Some of you have asked me how I was going to do the offspring thing that symbiotes go through. I don't actually plan on doing that concept anytime soon as I want to focus on Toxin.**

 **Dcraus has asked me for Akame Ga Kill! with Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and Prophecy. Here' my answers:** **I seen the Matrix, but I don't feel like it. Never seen Lords of the Rings and not a big fan of the movies. And never heard of Prophecy and i'm on interested on doing it, but thanks for the suggestions anyway.**

 **This one wants to know if carnage will be in this? I won't answer this question as you'll find out later on.**

 **Finally, this commenter asks if Knull, God of the Symbiotes, will appear? I'll think about it.**

 **Final suggestion is Spiderman Noir in the world of Akame Ga Kill! No, since I don't know anything about Spiderman Noir.**

 **Reminder, i have a Discord and had just made a server, so for anyone interested in joining, here's a link:**

https/discord.gg/CACRMKa

(Note: Put a : between the https and / and have two of / that is infront of discord. gg)

 **Feel free to either favorite, comment, or ask me a question and I'll answer it in the next chapter. See ya.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, Andrew78591, here is back with chapter 3 of Toxin Ga Kill! Sorry if this took so long. This chapter the longest one I've ever wrote and had some writers block with this. Back I'm back with something all of you can read.**

 **But before that, there's something I want to address first. This is about the amount of recommendation ideas I keep getting for fanfictions. Look, I didn't mind getting all of these from you guys and I appreciate your guy's help for ideas. But I want my stories to be read, reviewed, and appreciated just as much as anyone else. But everyone has just been sending me nothing but requests instead of enjoying and commenting on my stories and it's becoming more annoying then helpful. So please guys, cool it off with the requests and enjoy my content as it is. There are requests I'm considering doing and I have my own ideas I want to do, so I'm not in the mood to be taking requests and I simply want people to apprecitae my work. Please and thank you.**

 **(Update: I'm just fixing up my chapters for this fanfic of mine if some of you ask)**

 **Now with all that out of the way, let's get this chapter started.**

 **Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd begin:**

Chapter 3: A Forced Departure 

**_Snowy Black Forest_** ** _, 4_** ** _year laters_**

In the depths of the Snowy Black Forest, a giant danger beast is feasting on the flesh of a bear it caught. The danger beast was a behemoth, standing thirty-feet tall and had a muscular body that just screamed "power". It was completely covered in white long fur, except for it's hands, feet, and face, which were conpletely blue. It had sharp claws and two large teeth poked out from its lower lip. This was the high ranked danger beast known as the Yeti.

As the beast feasted, a familiar figure observed it from behind, hidden among one of the many snow caked trees.

"Jackpot," Tatsumi whispered in glee. A danger beast of that size would catch a hefty payment for its meat and Tatsumi had every intention on collecting.

 ** _'Pretty tough looking. You sure you can handle it?'_** Questioned Toxin.

'I'll do fine, you'll see,' Tatsumi replied confidently through their shared mental link.

 ** _'Funny, that's what you said about the last yeti. You know, the one that had you frozen solid for like an hour,'_** Toxin said with a slight chuckle.

The white patches on Tatsumi's mask narrowed from underneath the mask. 'This is gonna be different,' he said.

 ** _'We'll see,'_** Toxin said.

Tatsumi stared at the yeti's back as he tried to formulate a plan. From what he remembered, yeti's are known to be highly aggressive. That mixed with strength that could turn rocks into pebbles and an ice breath attack that freezes its victims in seconds, something he had the misfortune to experience first hand, it's obvious the best course of action would be a quick and fatal blow before it can react. He just needs to get close without alerting it.

Tatsumi slowly crawled along one of the branches, taking extra care not to give his position away. At the end of it, he hung upside down and grabbed onto the branch below him and crawled along that one. Reaching the trunk, he stopped to look over to the yeti. The danger beast continued to munch on its own kill, seemingly unaware of Tatsumi's presence.

'So far, so good,' Tatsumi thought and crawled across a branch before leaping towards another tree.

The young teen crawled and leaped his way towards the yeti, slowly closing the distance between them with each passing second. But when as he crawled along another branch, his weight caused it to snap in half, sending him falling. Thinking fast, he shot two web lines towards the closest tree and pulled himself into its crown.

Hearing the commotion, the Yeti stopped eating and jerked its head towards where it came from, red flesh dangling from its teeth. Seeing the broken branch and the slight rustling of one of the trees, it slurped the meat into its mouth and got up to investigate, making low booms with each step it took. Stopping in front of the tree, its gaze it travelled across it for anything suspicious. Its eyes soon landed on something orange hidden among the foliage. The yeti let out a curious growl and leaned in close for a better look. The orange thing turned to it in response, looking back at the yeti with large white its patches.

'Crap,' Tatsumi thought. The yeti snarled and Tatsumi had to jump out of the way of a punch that splintered the tree he was on. Landing on the ground in a crouching position, he watched the yeti roar and pound its chest with both fists.

(God of War 2108 OST - Magni and Modi

"So much for stealth..." Tatsumi muttered. Toxin chimed in, saying, **_'Ah, who cares? It's way more getting up close and personal.'_**

'Speak for yourself. I like having my bones not broken,' Tatsumi told them as he backfliped away to avoid getting crushed from the yeti's fist.

 ** _'Well if you're not feeling up to it, I could handle it for you,'_** Toxin suggested.

Seeing the yeti coming for another attack, Tatsumi's left hand started to morph. His fingers fused together, elongated, and flattened. Making a quick swing to test its weight, Tatsumi said to Toxin, 'I told you, I can handle this.'

The yeti roared again and charged at Tatsumi like a runaway train. But despite the behemoth making a beeline for him, Tatsumi just crouched low to the ground. When the hunter was in range, the yeti raised its fist over its arm and swung it down like a hammer. But at the very last second, Tatsumi jumped out of the way and fired a stream of webbing at the hand while it was still connected to the ground. The webbing completely enveloped the yeti's and kept it restrained no matter how much it pulled and clawed at it. Tatsumi then leaped towards the yeti's head with his sword arm pulled back, shouting, "You're mine!"

When the yeti saw Tatsumi heading for it, it stopped its struggling and used its free arm to swat him away. The hunter was sent careening towards a tree and painfully bounced off it on impact.

The yeti switched its focus away from Tatsumi and back to its hand. The yeti inaled and blew a white mist onto the webbing. In a few seconds, the substance was frozen. And with a quick punch, it was shattered, freeing its hand.

The yeti turned back to Tatsumi and saw him staggering around with a hand on his head. The hunter shook his head to get his bearings and glared at the yeti as he got back into a fighting stance.

The yeti inhaled deeply, puffing out its chest before it blew out a fog that raced towards him. Deciding dodging would be futile due to the size and speed of the fog, Tatsumi changed his blade into a shield bigger than his entire body and held it in front of him. When the fog reached the shield, it blew past him, preventing Tatsumi from seeing anything other than the fog itself. As Tatsumi struggled to keep his shield upright against the ice breath attack, the sound of crackling was barely able to be heard over the roaring wind. He looked at the edges of the shield and saw ice quickly spreading from the front of the shield to the back. Thinking fast, Tataumi grew some claws on his free hand and slashed at the bio-mass holding him and the shield together, just before the ice could reach him.

 ** _'Oww!'_** Shouted Toxin in pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" Tatsumi quickly apologized as he grabbed onto the now frozen shield to use as protection. Eventually, Tatsumi felt the force start to decrease and the fog dissipate, prompting him to look past the shield. While the area around him was covered in layers of ice, that wasn't what he was focused on. What he was focused on was the yeti, which was inhaling for another ice breath attack.

"Oh no, you don't!" Tatsumi lifted the frozen shield over his head and chucked it at the yeti, full force. It quickly soared through the air and collided with the yeti's forehead, shattering upon impact. The danger beast roared in pain and clasped the point of impact protectively with both hands. While it was distracted, two web lines connected with its legs and pulled its own feet from under it.

"Let's try this again," Tatsumi said. He leaped high into the air and dived towards the yeti's head. The danger beast inhaled air to use its ice breath, but Tatsumi was prepared for this and fired a glob of webbing that splattered over its mouth, preventing it from doing so. And with a sword shoved through the head, the yeti was finished.

(Music End)

Tatsumi pulled the sword from the yeti's head and morphed it back into a normal hand. He jumped off the body and gazed at his kill with a hand on his hip and a smile on his face. "Man, what would've taken an entire group of hunters to kill, I did it in a few seconds."

 ** _'You know, I'm actually impressed. I thought it would take you at minimum of twenty years to learn how to use our powers. Yet you already killed this thing in just a few minutes,'_** Toxin said.

The young man gave at laugh "Haha, thanks... Wait, why twenty?"

 ** _'You haven't had the best track record.'_**

"What are you talking about? I have a great track record."

When Tatsumi's head involuntarily turned to the yeti, he slouched over and groaned as he said in an annoyed tone "One time."

 ** _'Still happened. If it was me, I would've killed it in half the time it took you to kill this one.'_** "No you wouldn't," Tatsumi denied, nearly shouts as he did. "You would've played around with it for like half an hour before you'd end it,"

 ** _'Yeah, but I COULD finish it. And there's a difference between would've and could've.'_**

The two went back and forth, arguing with one another over who could do the better job. This was by no means new to them. Despite the time they've spent together, they tended to butt heads due to their different ways of doing things.

 ** _'I'm just saying things could've gone better had I... what the?'_** Toxin trailed, something catching their attention. When Tatsumi was going to ask what's going on, Toxin shouted in his head "Incoming," just as a shadow covered Tatsumi.

The hunter leaped away just in time to avoid a boulder from crushing. He landed in a crouching position and looked at boulder before looking towards where it came from. Stomping towards him was another yeti, snarling and glaring at him.

 _'Oh, of course there's two of them,'_ Tatsumi thought with a roll of his eyes.

 ** _'Probably a mate, or brother, or something,'_** Toxin said. **_'Ready to repeat those little tricks of yours and not spend time as an ice sculpture?'_**

Ignoring that last comment, Tatsumi reformed his blade and glared at the yeti. "You know what? I am. Let's do this!" And with a battle cry, he charged for the yeti, which retaliated by charging at him as well.

A good while later, Tatsumi, in his snow gear, drags the one of the yeti's with his webbing while Toxin, pulled the second Yeti with its tendrils. While it was easy for Toxin to pull it's weight, Tatsumi was somewhat struggling due to the beast's large weight. As the teen continued pulling, Toxin said to him, **_'You know you can just use my full strength to pull these things, right?'_**

 _'I know, but I want to be able to do things myself,'_ Tatsumi replied.

 ** _'But then what's the point of having powers if you're not gonna use them?'_**

 _'I don't wanna get too reliant on you. Obi always says a sword is only as good as the person who wields it.'_

 ** _'Clearly he didn't take symbiotes into account.'_**

 _'There's also the fact that I have to keep my body in peak condition. You said it yourself that the better I am, the better you become,'_ Tatsumi pointed out. _'Anyway, we should be close to the village now. Try not to make a big show like last time.'_

 ** _'I don't know what you're talking about.'_**

Tatsumi scoffed and replied _'Really? Cuz I still remember how you made a bunch of those weird tendril arrow things pointing at our kill with the words "Property of Tatsumi" written on them while we dragged it through the village.'_

 ** _'I still don't see why you have a problem with that. You didn't complain about it at the time.'_**

 _'That's because you retracted them every time I turned around. The others had to tell me about them.'_

 ** _'Still don't see the problem. I thought they made you look proud.'_**

 _'More like self-absorbed,'_ Tatsumi replied with an eye roll.

After about a minute or two later, Tatsumi and Toxin reached the black wooden gates that lead into Sahne Eis. Standing in front of it, he looked up and saw one of the hunters inside a tower as he observed the distance for trouble through his binoculars.

"Hey, can you open the gate?" Tatsumi yelled out, which got the hunter's attention.

"Oh, hey Tatsumi," he greeted. His gaze then travelled to Tatsumi's kills and was stunned. "Holy s, you got two Yetis?!"

"Yeah, found one while it was eating and the other wasn't far off," Tatsumi explained as he jabbed a thumb towards the yeti's.

"Man, the things you do with that symbiote still surprise," the hunter said with a chuckle.

An orange head resembling Tatsumi's mask appeared on his shoulder and said **"Aww, you're too kind."**

"Anyway, can you let us in already? I wanna get to the butcher's shop so I can cash this in as soon as possible," Tasumi said.

"Sure thing," the hunter said. He then climbed down the ladder that lead to the tower, disappearing from sight. After about a couple seconds, the large doors parted and allowed Tatsumi to drag the yeti's through them before they closed again.

"Thanks!" Tatsumi yelled out.

"No problem," the hunter replied as climbed back into his post.

 ** _Sahne Eis Village, Twilight_**

Tatsumi continued walking through a path for a couple seconds until he reached his village. Sahne Eis. Eveything looked completely normal as everyone there were doing their own thing. Peope were selling their goods to others, farmers were checking and planting new plants for vegetables and bread, and the children were all playing with each other without a care in the world. Tatsumi felt good to be back home. "Okay, before we head back home, we need to take dead Yetis to the butcher first and get you your food," Tatsumi said to Toxin, still on his shoulder, as he replied with, **"Alright then, let's go."**

Tatsumi walked passed many cabins and greeted some of villagers. Though there were a few odd looks given to him, but he did his best to ignore them. It had been four years since Toxin's presence was made public. As expected, the villagers all went into a complete panic. It was only thanks to the elder and his friends that everyone managed to calm down enough to at least have him be in close proximity to someone without them either running in the opposite direction or aiming their weapons at him. That didn't mean people where completely hunky dory with the fact there was an alien amongst them though, oh no. Even to this day, people are unsure wether or not Toxin was friend or foe. But at the very least, he's glad he can still maintain SOME sort of life, despite his "unique" companion.

Inside the butcher's shop, Torr diligently sliced up the pork laid on the table in front of him. He stopped when he heard someone behind him call out, "Hey, Torr". Turning around, he was greeted with the sight of Tatsumi, sporting a big grin on his face.

"Hello Tatsumi. I'm guessing from the look on your face, you have something to trade to me?" Torr said, stabbing his knife into the table and removing his stained apron as he walked around the counter.

"Damn right I do! You won't believe what me and Toxin got from our latest hunt," Tatsumi chirped.

Toxin gave a big smile as it added, **"Though I think you're gonna need to make some room."**

Seeing Torr raise his a brow, Tatsumi told him, "It's better if you see for yourself," while motioning outside. The old hunter went outside to see what was brought and was completely taken back by the sight of two yeti's.

"I'll be damned..." Torr muttered.

"I know. Crazy, right?" Tatsumi said as he walked up behind him and leaned towards the door frame.

"Crazy doesn't even begin to describe this," Torr replied.

"Sooo, how much would these bad boys fetch?" Tatsumi asked while rubbing his knuckles against his coat, still keeping his grin.

"Well, taking into consideration their rarity, size, fur, taste and all that, I'd say around fifty gold pieces each," Torr said as he examined the dead danger beasts.

"Cool, I thought as-WAIT, WHAT!?!" Tatsumi's little act dropped and he snapped his head towards Torr with absolute shock. "DID YOU SAY FIFTY EACH!?!"

"You heard me," Torr said as he looked back to Tatsumi with his arms crossed. He put on a playful smile and added "'Course, if you don't want it, that's perfectly fine."

"Oh no, I want it, I want it!" Tatsumi hastily said while nodding his head vigorously.

"I thought so. Now do me a favor and move them into the storage over there while I get the money. Most of the staff already left for home and I'm nowhere near capable of dragging these things by myself."

As Toxin covered Tatsumi, the boy asked "Why aren't they here? It's too early to be going home."

Torr looked completely dumbfounded by the question. "Too early? Boy, have you even looked up?"

Tatsumi blinked in confusion from under his mask and looked towards the sky. Instead of being blue, it was a pinkish purple, signifying the coming of night. "Whoa, how long have we been out there? I left before noon!"

 ** _'We probably could've gotten here sooner if you had just used our powers, you know,'_** said Toxin in his mind.

Tatsumi frowned and said to them _'Can it.'_

Tatsumi then dragged the yeti's to the storage. And after a good ten minutes of trying to shove them through the entrance due to their size, he eventually succeded, collected his money, and waved goodbye to Torr as he left the shop. After that, he made a quick stop at a market to buy a few things with the money he earned and went home.

Tatsumi's House, Nighttime

Stopping at the doorstep of one of the cabin that was his home, Tatsumi pulled out his key from his pocket and unlocked the door. Upon entering, he was greeted by Obi, who was sitting on the couch along with Ieyasu.

"Hello, my boy, you're finally back." Obi said.

"Hey man, where have you been?" Ieyasu asked as he waved at his friend.

"Dragging a few danger beasts through the forest for hours," Tatsumi answered plainly, earn a look of surprise from the two. "I'm not even kidding. Then I stopped by the butcher's shop to trade them. And after that, I went to the market to buy some things for Toxin," he explained while removing his snow gear and gloves to reveal his normal clothing. A white high collar jacket over a tan sweater vest, a pair of black pants, and combat boots.

"And what did you and Toxin get from your hunt?" Obi asked.

"Oh, you won't believe what me and Toxin got today," Tatsumi said with a big smile. "But before I tell you, where is everyone else?"

"The girls and my uncle are in the kitchen right now making dinner," Ieyasu explained.

"Oh, it's their turn to cook today?" Tatsumi asked, with his friend replying with a simple, "Yup."

"Sweet. I can never get enough of their pork chops."

Just then, the orange slime that was Toxin oozed out of Tatsumi and onto the floor. "Toxin, where are you going?" Tatsumi asked.

The small head of Toxin looked up at Tatsumi with an innocent smile. Well, as innocent as they could, considering the teeth-shaped goo made the smile look more menacing than innocent. **"Just going to say hi, is all."**

"You're going to try and eat before its ready, aren't you?" Tatsumi asked with a deadpan expression.

Toxin pouted and said indignantly, **"No. You should know me better than that."**

"It's because I know you that I can tell what you're planning."

 **"Pah, the respect I get from you is so little, it's almost nonexistent. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go to the kitchen and not get accused."** With that said, Toxin slithered out of the room and towards the kitchen.

"You think Toxin's gonna actually gonna manage to swipe some grub?" asked Ieyasu.

Tatsumi scoffed as he plopped onto the couch. "With how protective Tsubaki is over her cooking, he'll be lucky to get anywhere near the food."

Meanwhile in the kitchen, the girls and Tokugawa were busy preparing the food.

"How's the rice going over there, Sis?" Tsubaki asked while tossing the salad.

"Almost done just need a minute or two," Sayo replied.

Tsubaki then turned to Tokugawa and asked, "How about you, Tokigawa? You finished with the pork chops?"

"This is the last batch. The rest are in here to cool down a little," Tokigawa said as he pointed to the basket with the rest of the cooked meat was while cooking the last of the meat in a pan over the fire.

"Good, looks like we're about done. We'll just get Obi and Ieyasu to set up the table," Tsubaki said.

As the three continued talking, Toxin slithered across the ground, zipping under and behind whatever they could to avoid getting spotted. What were they after? Obviously the freshly cooked pork chops.

When they reached the counter, they travelled up it and came face to face with their prize. Just staring at the meat made them drool.

 **'Oh, yeah. Come to Toxin,** ' they thought, inching towards the pork. They opened their mouth wide and were ready to take a bite. But just before they could make contact, a loud clanging caused them to reel back and screeched. Toxin fell to the ground and screamed, "Stop that horrible racket!" as they writhed around.

Seeing that the symbiote had enough, Tsubaki placed the metal pot and spoon back on the table and glared at the symbiote.

"What are you doing here, slimeball?"

Toxin looked up at her with a sheepish smile. **"Just wanted to come by and say 'hi."**

"Riiight. Well now that you did, why don't you go back to the living room before I shove you into the fireplace?" Tsubaki said in a sweet tone that still managed to carry her threat.

If Toxin could, they'd most likely be sweating. But being a prideful individual, they decided to act nonchalant to hide their nervousness. **"Fine, fine."** They said as they slithered away in a noticeably quick pace.

On their way out, Tsubaki them, "Oh, and tell the others to set the table, will you?"

 **"Yeah, yeah, whatever,"** Toxin said and grumbled under their breath.

"Sis, was all the noise really necessary? You know how much it hurts him without Tatsumi," Sayo said.

"That bastard's always trying to get on my nerves. If anything, he deserved it," Tsubaki tried to justify. "I'll never understand why Tatsumi puts up with him."

A while later, everyone gathered around the set table and ate the freshly made food, which consisted of pork chops with white rice and salad on the side. As they enjoyed their dinner, they each told their own stories. The most interesting one was undoubtedly Tatsumi's, who recounted his battle with the two Yetis.

"Two Yetis?!" Sayo said in disbelief. "I knew you and Toxin were strong, but I never thought you could do something like that."

Obi chuckled and patted Tatsumi on the back, "I'm proud of you, Tatsumi. Your skills have jumped leaps and bounds in no time at all. I have no doubt that your parents would be proud."

"Thanks, Obi. But don't forget that Toxin's been helping me along the way. Right, Toxin?" Tatsumi said as he turned to Toxin.

Toxin looked at Tatsumi with a mouth full of meat. **"Mmm? Mo, meh,"** they muffled an agreement and continued to eat

"Man, you're lucky," Ieyasu said jealously. "You have a really powerful symbiote that gives you powers that makes mincemeat of anything you fight while we have to use normal swords and bows."

"Oh come on, Ieyasu. It's not that great. Sure, I get a major power boost, but when you have an alien that just talks and talks all day long, sometimes the powers don't seem all that worth it," Tatsumi said. He then yelped in pain when a pair of fangs closed on his wrist.

While Tatsumi tried to pry the angered Toxin from his wrist, Ieyasu continued, "Still, you're so powerful, I'll be lucky to ever be half as good as you."

When he finished, Ieyasu was smacked in the back of his head by Tokigawa. "Ow, what the hell, uncle?" Ieyasu yelled at his caretaker.

"Stop comparing yourself to Tatsumi," Tokigawa said firmly to his nephew. "You're not Tatsumi. You'll never be Tatsumi. But that doesn't mean you won't get stronger. You and Tatsumi have your own strengths and weaknesses that make you different from one another. You both have something that makes you two strong in your own ways. And with your strengths, there are also weaknesses. Tatsumi and Toxin are incredibly strong when they are bonded together, but that's only when their together," he explained.

"He's got a point," Tatsumi said, who was rubbing his pained wrist while glaring at Toxin, who was also glaring back. "We're probably around the same level. And Toxin is pretty much helpless."

 **"I'll have you know I can fend for myself just fine."**

"Riiight, I'm sure slapping them with those silly strings of yours would do some mean damage," Tatsumi said with a roll of his eyes.

Toxin growled and said, **"You want me to bite the other wrist?"**

"Try it and I'll chop off that head of yours!" Tatsumi threatened.

"There's also their tendency to argue," Tokigawa added. "Ieyasu, you're pervert, you're overconfident, and make some of the most boneheaded decisions I've ever seen," he stated, which ticked of his nephew. But what he said next surprised Ieyasu. "However, you have improved a lot over these past few years. You think about your actions more often when in battle, your knowledge as a zoologist is almost unparalleled by anyone in this village, and you're able to take down high ranked danger beasts on your own. Even if your not on Tatsumi's level, you have improved a lot. I'm very proud of you for that," he finished with a big smile.

Ieyusa was left absolutely stunned. Just a single compliment from Tokigawa was a rare thing for him. To hear him say all this, to hold him in such high regard, he honestly didn't know what to think.

Ieyasu was snapped out of his stupor by a kiss on the cheek from Sayo. "He's right you know. You really have improved a lot, so don't think any less of yourself because of Tatsumi." The two proceeded to affectionately cuddle with each other.

Yes, Ieyasu and Sayo were a couple. And Ieyasu is super grateful for Tatsumi and Toxin's help. Mostly Tatsumi's.

While the two continued to cuddle, blissfully unaware of how uncomfortable their making the others, they were interrupted by the serious voice of Tsubaki. "Ieyasu, while I'm alright with you dating my sister, being too "friendly" is a strict no-no. Keep it up and you'll be dearly regretting it."

"G-got it," Ieyasu whimpered in fear and pulled away. Tsubaki then grabbed abd Sayo pulled her into a hug, much to her sister's annoyance. "Besides, only I get to cuddle with her in public," Tsubaki said happily.

"Sis!" Sayo yelled in embarrassment.

Tatsumi, Obi, Tokigawa, and Toxin stared at Tsubaki with a deadpan look. **"Can we get back to eating, please?"** Toxin asked in annoyance.

Tsubaki sighed and let go of her sister. "Fine."

After that, everyone continued to have their feast. They told stories, told jokes, and generally had a very good time. A couple hours later, everyone finished their dinner and said their goodbyes. With everyone gone, Tatsumi and Obi were left to clean up before heading off to bed.

It was midnight and many of the residents of Sahne Eis were fast asleep, those not were mostly night guards assigned to watch for danger beasts.

In Obi's house, Tatsumi slept peacefully in his room, wrapped around in his comfortable blankets. The familiar form of Toxin spread over Tatsumi, enveloping him in themself. When the ooze reached Tatsumi's face, a fanged mouth and a slightly distorted version of the normal patches appeared.

Tossing aside the blankets, Toxin stood up on the bed and said, **"Let the fun begin."**

Toxin exited out of the room and continued walking until he reached the front door of their house. Toxin was about to open the door until...

"Toxin?"

The symbiote turned around to see a sleepy Obi holding a glass of water. **"Oh, hey old man,"** Toxin greeted.

Obi's eye twitched in annoyance, but let the "old man" remark go. He was too tired to argue back. "You heading out for your free time again?"

 **"Yup. This is the only time I get full control and I'm gonna take full advantage,"** Toxin replied.

"Alright then, Toxin, go have your fun. But remember, you only get three hours of free time, so don't dawdle," Obi reminded the symbiote.

 **"Yeah, yeah, I know the rules. Don't need another reminder,"** Toxin waved off.

"Good. And make sure you remember to brush your... Tatsumi's... ugh, the teeth you use. Last time you forgot, Tatsumi spent most of the morning in the bathroom," Obi said as he left the for bed.

 **"Ugh, you make one mistake and nobody lets you forget,"** Toxin grumbled and walked out of the door. He then proceeded to start leaping and swinging through the village and towards the Snowy Black Forest.

 ** _Snowy Black Forest_**

Crawling around a tree, Toxin sniffed the air noisily. **"Come on, come on. Give me something good,"** Toxin said aloud. Leaping onto the top of a tree, the symbiote continued to sniff the air. When they couldn't find a trace of anything, they snarled. **"How hard is it to find a danger beast in a forest filled with danger beasts!?"**

Toxin jumped down from the tree and started walking while sniffing the air. Just when they thought they were never gonna find anything, a faint trace of something. They didn't know what it was, but they could tell it wasn't human. And that was enough to make them grin.

 **"Jackpot."**

Toxin jumped into the air and swung through the forest, using only their sense of smell as a guide. It didn't take long for them to spot their target.

Perched upon a tree was a giant owl. It was a large eight-foot tall bird that had white feathers with black specks. It had sharp brown eyes, a long beak, and dangerous looking talons. It was a majestic bird, but definitely dangerous. The owl was currently eating the organs of a deer it had captured on top of a tree.

 **"Good, it's hasn't eaten the deer's brain yet,"** Toxin said as they examine the situation, **"Okay, let's do this."**

The giant owl continued it's meal until the sound of a branch snapping made it rotate its head a full one hundred and eighty degrees. When it spotted nothing, it turned back around to continue eating...

And came face to face with Toxin.

 **"Hey there, bird brain."**

The giant owl screeched in surprise and took off into the air, but the symbiote was quick to react and shot web lines at the bird's chest, keeping it from rising any higher than a few feet.

Toxin began dragging the owl down to ground level. Despite the owl's struggles, it did little to help. When the danger beast was dragged close to Toxin, the owl tried to slash at its attacker with its talons. But the symbiote jumped over the attack and the owl. With Toxin no longer pulling it, the owl quickly flew higher into the air. But before it got too high, Toxin leaped onto its back and bit down hard on its neck, earning a screech of pain from the owl. The neurotoxin quickly took effect, paralyzing the owl and causing it to plummet to the ground. Toxin jumped off the owl just as the beast crashed and landed in a crouching position.

Toxin licked the flesh blood in their teeth and gave a satisfied hum. **"Mmm, tasty. Now I want more."**

Toxin stood up and approached their prey while forming a blade. They raised their blade into the air, said **"Nothing personal, bird brain,"** and chopped the owl's head in half.

Toxin looked at the owl and then over to the deer. " **Hehehe, hope Tatsumi doesn't mind a little extra weight, cuz I'm gonna feast like a king!"**

Toxin shot a web line towards the upper half of the bird head and pulled it towards them. They stared at the head hungrily while licking the bits of blood that spilled out, savoring the taste.

 **"Down the hatch,"** They said and proceeded to bring the head towards their wide open mouth.

 ** _Sahne Eis_** ** _Village_** ** _, Tatsumi's House, Morning_**

Tatsumi tossed and turned in his bed as he tried to fall back asleep. But due to the sunlight entering through the open window, it was clear that wasn't going to happen. Accepting that fact, Tatsumi stood up and stretched his body with a small yawn.

 ** _'Good morning, Tatsumi,'_** Toxin greeted telepathically.

Tatsumi yawned and said morning "Morning, Toxin."

Tatsumi got off his bed and approached the mirror on his dresser. Seeing his groggy and messy haired appearance, Tatsumi opened a cabinet to grab his comb. "I assume you behaved last night?"

 ** _'Ugh, of course I did. Can't you ever go one morning without asking that?'_** Toxin asked in annoyance.

"Toxin, I only ask because I don't want to get into any trouble," Tatsumi stated while combing his hair into its usual style. "The village practically has all eyes on us. One small screw up could be a disaster. The last thing I want is to have an angry mob-"

 ** _'Chasing us out of our home with pitchforks and torches,'_** Toxin said in unison with Tatsumi. **_'Yeah, yeah, I heard that before too.'_**

While combing his hair, Tatsumi unconsciously traced his tongue across his mouth. When he felt something stuck between his teeth, he curiously licked it out of his teeth and was met with an absolutely horrid taste. He quickly spat it out and onto the floor, revealing it to be a piece of raw meat.

"Toxin, I told you to always wash out every bit of meat after eating!" Tatsumi shouted at the symbiote.

 ** _'Oh, come on! It was a small piece. How was I supposed to find that?'_** Toxin defended.

Before Tatsumi could scold Toxin for their carelessness, he started feeling really queasy and quickly ran out of his room towards the bathroom. He passed by Obi in the hallway, who greeted him "Good morning", but he ignored him and entered the bathroom, closing the door with a loud slam.

Already knowing what was going on, Obi shook his head. This wasn't the first time Toxin had made this mistake, unfortunately. And he doubted it would be the last time. The hunter was then brought out of his thoughts by the knocking coming from the front door.

"I wonder who that could be..." Obi muttered to himself as he went to greet the visitor. When he opened the front door, he saw Ieyasu.

"Good morning, Obi," he greated.

"Good morning Ieyasu. You need something?" Obi asked.

"More like someone. I came to ask Tatsumi and Toxin for a favor. Is he awake yet?" Ieyasu said while looking past Obi for any sign of his friend.

"Yes, he's awake. But he's a little preoccupied at the moment," Obi said while rubbing his neck uncomfortably.

Back with Tatsumi, the young was scrubbing his mouth intensely, trying to get rid of the atrocious taste. He grabs a cup of water on the sink and sips from it, swirling water around his mouth before spitting it into the sink. Tatsumi then traces his tongue all around his mouth to make sure he got everything. He licked around his mouth to make sure his job was done and cringed when he was met with a familiar bad taste.

"Why won't the taste go away!?" Tatsumi shouted. He grabbed his toothbrush, added some toothpaste, and started scrubbing once again.

"You wanna come inside? He might take a while," Obi offered.

"Sure, I've got some time to kill," Ieyasu accepted and walked through the door.

A while later, Tatsumi sat down on the sofa with a leg over the other. Across from him was Ieyasu who was sitting in a chair

"What's up man? You needed something?" Tatsumi asked.

"This," Ieyusa said and puts a piece of paper on the wooden table between them.

Tatsumi grabs the paper and reads it. While he read it, Ieyasu began to explain, "Recently, an artic mammoth danger showed up and has been attacking anyone that crosses its path. Not only that, it's been hanging around a pathway that most merchants and hunters use, causing problems for the businesses around here. Since no one has taken it down yet, I thought, with your help of course, we could take it on together."

Tatsumi folded the paper and looked at Ieyasu with visible concern, "Ieyusa, are you sure about this? I mean, this is a very high ranked danger beast. Things could get hairy."

"C'mon, what are you afraid of? If you can take down two yetis by yourself, I'm sure this'll be a cakewalk for the four of us," Ieyasu said confidently.

"Hold on, four?" Tatsumi asked.

"Yeah, you, me, Toxin, and Sayo," Ieyasu explained.

Tatsumi was taken aback. "Sayo agreed to this? Seriously?"

"Yeah, but only if you come," Ieyasu said with a sigh. "Come on, Tatsumi. You're always talking about becoming a famous hunter. And what better way of getting your name out there than to take on powerful danger beasts?"

Tatsumi sighed and crossed his arms and furrowed brow, giving a slight hum as he thought it over. Toxin, wanting to give their own two cents on the matter, told Tatsumi telepathically, **_'I think we should go. This thing looks like a real fun challenge for us.'_**

 _'Normally, I'd be fine with it. But if Sayo and Ieyasu come, I don't know if I can,'_ Tatsumi thought while glancing over to Ieyasu, who had his hands clasped together while giving Tatsumi puppy-dog eyes.

"Pleeeease." Ieyasu pleaded.

 ** _'What are you afraid of? They can handle themselves,'_** Toxin said.

 _'Against average danger beasts, sure. But this might be something out of our league.'_

 ** _'Aw, stop worrying. They'll be fine."_**

Tatsumi was still a little hesitant. This was a very high level danger beast. While he could take it down on his own with some effort, he didn't know if he could do it AND keep Ieyasu and Sayo safe at the same time. As Tatsumi kept thinking, Ieyasu spoke, "Come on, man. You've been doing so many solo missions lately that we barely spend any time together."

Tatsumi sighed and said, "Alright, fine. I'll join."

"Yes!" Ieyasu shot up from the chair and fist pumped in victory.

"So, when do we leave?" Tatsumi asked.

"We'll be leaving today at noon. We meet at the front entrance of the gates at the forest. Got that?" Ieyasu said as he went to the door.

Tatsumi nodded and said "Got it."

"Good. I'll head back home and get ready for our hunt. See you later."

Waving Tatsumi goodbye as he closed the door, Ieyasu left to get everything prepared.

After Tatsumi waved back and closed the door, he heard someone asked "So, you're heading out for another hunt?"

Tatsumi looked towards where the voice came from and saw Obi standing by the doorway. "Yeah, Sayo and Ieyasu need my help to hunt an artic mammoth," he explained.

 ** _'Was he just standing there the entire time?'_** Asked Toxin.

"An artic mammoth? I haven't heard of that species in a while. I remember taking one down a long time ago," Obi said.

"Oh yeah, you told me about that before," Tatsumi recalled. "You, Mom, and Dad took it down along with Tokugawa and Tsubaki."

Obi nodded "Aye, It was a struggle to remember. The beast's sheer size and weight made it difficult just to approach. It took us over an hour, but seeing the mammoth fall made it all worth it."

"Man, someday I hope to be as good as you guys used to be," Tatsumi said.

"You'll get their eventually. An important part to become a great hunter is the experience you build over years on the job. And the other part?" Obi chuckled and said "The other is your equipment. Which reminds me, I have to go get something. Wait right here."

Tatsumi stared confused at his caretaker, who left the room to do whatever he was gonna do. Moments later, Obi came back holding a box in his arms. He placed it on the table and motioned towards it. "Go ahead, Tatsumi. Open it."

While Tatsumi approached the table. The box itself was rectangular and made of wood. While it was well made, it was obviously worn down by age. Engraved in the wood was the word "Kayusaiki".

When Tatsumi reached to pull the lid, Toxin said **_'I hope it's chocolate,'_** in his head.

Tatsumi stopped his hands over the box with deadpan look. _'What kind of chocolate would be kept in an old box?'_

 ** _'Exotic chocolate?'_**

Tatsumi just shook his head and pulled off the lid. And his jaw dropped.

It was a medium length sword, with a bright yellow hilt and black leather around the grip. In the center of the guard was a silver "K" engraved on it. The blade's length was around four, maybe five feet long. And most notably was the blade's color. One side was a soft shade of sky blue while the other was a bright shade of fiery red. Tatsumi picked up the sword and marveled at the craftsmanship.

Obi laughed softly at the sight of Tatsumi at a lost for words and asked, "Well my boy, what do you think of your new sword?"

"Obi, how on earth did you get this sword?" Tatsumi asked in awe.

"Well, that would be because of Kasai and Yuki," Obi responded.

"Mom and dad made this?" Tatsumi said surprised as he face Obi.

"Well, more like they got material to get it made," Obi told him. "Let me explain. When you were about two years old, Kasai and Yuki went on a hunting trip like they usually did. As they were heading home, they discovered a cave through the side of a cliff. As they looked through the cavern, they found a deposit of a metal ore called orichalcum."

Hearing the name of the material made Tatsumi quickly turn to Obi with shock. "They found orichalcum?! I thought that metal was extremely rare!"

Obi chuckled and continued, "At first, Kasai and Yuki were thinking thinking on selling the materials for some decent cash. After all, they were perfectly content with their current gear, so why craft another weapon? But then Kasai remembered that although they had weapons, you didn't. He figured that they could craft a weapon for you when you were old enough. Yuki agreed, so they took the orichalcum and brought it to me, since I'm a skilled blacksmith. They also added some extra materials in for reinforcement. I worked hard for months to craft the perfect weapon. The end result was the sword you hold know. I called it Kayusaiki on account of its coloring. After I had finished crafting it, I kept it with me for when your parents decided it was the right time."

Obi's expression became more sorrowful as he remembered his deceased friends. "After they died, I kept it with me and waited till the time was right for you to have it," he explained. "Since you're going up against a mammoth and you lost your old sword, I felt now was the time."

"I... I don't know what to say. This is amazing. I don't feel like I deserve something like this," Tatsumi said happily as he was touched by Obi's words.

Obi went up to Tatsumi and patted him on the head. "Tatsumi, your parents had this weapon made so you can use it when you were ready. And you have proven to be a capable hunter, with or without Toxin. You've certainly earned that sword."

Tatsumi looked at his new sword happily and said, "Thanks, Obi. I'll treasure it for as long as I live.

"No problem, my boy," Obi said as he ruffled up Tatsumi's hair a bit before heading back into his room. Just before leaving, he stopped at the doorway and said, "You should start getting ready for your hunt now, or you'll be late. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Okay Obi, I will," Tatsumi replied as he took the sword with him and began to prepare himself.

 ** _Snowy Black Forest, Noon_**

Tatsumi stood at the entrance of the village as he waited for his friends. He wore his typical snow clothing with his sheathed Kayusaiki sword on his back.

 ** _'What's taking them so long? I want to go hunting already,'_** Toxin complained in Tatsumi's head.

"Well, we did get here a bit early," Tatsumi said.

And as if on cue, Ieyasu and Sayo came into view, waving at Tatsumi as they approached.

"Hey man, hope we didn't make you wait too long," Ieyasu said.

"No, not at all," Tatsumi said, "So, you're all ready?"

"Yup, let's get go. Time's a wasting," Ieyusa said and they all went on their way to begin their hunt.

 ** _Artic Tundra_**

An hour after that, the three traveled together through the snowy lands, conversing with one another. The plain land covered in snow, with only a few scrubs providing any sort of contrast. This land was known as the Artic Tundra, a place many travelers pass through for the fastest and easiest path to Sahne Eis. It was here that Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo were to hunt down their target.

As they were walking through the tundra, Ieyasu swung around Tatsumi's new sword while admiring the handiwork. Raising up the sword to the sky, Ieyasu said, "This thing's incredible!"

"And it's so beautiful," Sayo commented.

"Thanks guys. I'm surprised how much work Obi put into this sword," Tatsumi commented.

"Man, you've been getting lucky lately. First you slay two Yetis, and now you get a brand new sword made of Orichalcum, no less," Ieyasu pointed out. "Man, I'm getting really jealous of you."

Sayo smacked Ieyasu in the back of the head and said, "Do I have to drag you back to the village and make Tokugawa repeat his speech?"

Ieyasu waved his hands around as he shook his head with a nervous smile. "No, no, I promise that's the last time you'll hear me say something like that again, I swear!"

Sayo glared at her boyfriend intently before sighing. "I can't stay mad at you."

"That's just part of my charm, babe," Ieyasu chuckled. "But you're right. I should focus less on Tatsumi's accomplishments and more on making accomplishments."

Sayo gave Ieyasu a quick kiss on his cheek, causing him to blush a little. "That's the spirit, darling," Sayo said with a giggle.

"Since when did you guys start giving each other nicknames?" Tatsumi asked.

"Oh, we started doing it last week. Since we're dating, we thought we would give it a try," Sayo explained as she held Ieyasu's hand.

"You a little jealous, Tatsumi?" Ieyasu asked teasingly.

Sayo hit her boyfriend's rib with her elbow. "Ieyasu, behave," she scolded.

"Come on, I was only joking," Ieyasu grunted.

Tatsumi chuckled at his friends' behavior. Even when they were dating, they barely act any different than usual.

The group continued their search for the mammoth, Ieyasu and Sayo began to talk to each other while Tatsumi walked silently ahead of them.

 ** _'How come I don't have a nickname?'_** Toxin asked telepathically.

 _'Probably because everyone is fine just calling you by your name,'_ said Tatsumi.

 ** _'But I wanna have a nickname too!'_** Toxin whined.

Tatsumi groaned and said _'Tell you what? If you can come up with a good nickname for me, I'll think of one for you.'_

 ** _'Deal!'_** The symbiote quickly accepted. It hummed in thought before proclaiming, **_'I got it! How about I call you "Tatsum"?'_**

 _'That's just my name,'_ Tatsumi deadpanned.

 ** _'No it isn't. Your name is "Tatsumi" and your nickname is "Tatsum".'_**

 _'Try again, Toxin,'_ Tatsumi told the symbiote.

 ** _'Ugh, fine. How about "Tatsu"?'_** Toxin suggested.

 _'That's almost as bad the first one.'_

 ** _'Natsu?'_**

 _'How does that nickname even relate to me?'_

 ** _'Sleeping Dragon!'_**

 _'That's just a translation of my name!'_

 ** _'But it isn't, so it counts,'_** Toxin defended.

 _'Even still, that's way too long.'_

 ** _'When did length have anything to do with the nickname!?'_** Toxin shouted in Tatsumi's head, making their host wince from the volume. **_'Stop making excuses so you don't have to give me a nickname!'_**

 _'I'm not making excuses. I already told, you that I'll give you one if you give me a good one. It's not my fault that you're so bad at thi-'_

"WOAH!!" Tatsumi was cut off when his foot met air where there was supposed to be ground and fell into a big hole.

Tatsumi stood back up and rubbed his head. "Ow..." he muttered.

"Tatsumi, are you alright?" Sayo asked in concern as she and Ieyasu run up to him.

"Yeah, just fell into this hole is all," Tatsumi waved off.

"Tatsumi, I don't think that's a hole," Ieyasu said.

"What'd you mean?" Tatsumi asked as he climbed out.

Ieyasu pointed at the hole and said "Look."

Tatsumi turned to hole and was shocked. The hole wasn't a hole. It was a footprint. A big one at that. Meaning whatever made this must've been huge.

"I think we're on the right track," Ieyasu said.

"What makes you say that?" Sayo asked rhetorically.

Ieyasu observed the footprint and compared it to what he remembered of the artic mammoth prints. "No doubt about it. That's our target." He looked over to his girlfriend and asked, "Sayo, can you tell how long ago this was made?"

Sayo jumped down into the foot print and removed a glove so she could feel the ground. She placed the glove back on and said, "Judging by the condition of the dirt, it looks like the footprint was made about a couple minutes ago. That means the mammoth shouldn't be too far from our location."

"That's good to hear," Ieyasu said. He turned to Tatsumi and asked, "Tatsumi, do you think you can get a scent from this footprint with Toxin to help us find the mammoth?"

"No problem," answered Tatsumi as the symbiote suit formed over him. He then got on all fours and sniffed the ground, searching for any trace of their target. After a couple sniffs, Tatsumi picked up a scent that undoubtedly belonged to the artic mammoth. He crawled along the ground like an animal, following a certain direction. He looked back at his friends and pointed ahead of him. "The scent is coming from over there, near that moutain."

"That's good to hear, but it looks like it'll take us about twenty minutes to walk there," Sayo said as she looked at their path.

Tatsumi's mask formed a monstrous mouth filled with fangs and a long tongue, signifying that Toxin was in control. **"Fuck that, I've been itching for a fight since I heard this thing existed. So..."** With that, Toxin wrapped their tendrils around Ieyasu and Sayo's waists. **"Let's skip the journey and get straight to the destination."**

Sayo and Ieyasu were a little worried by Toxin's words.

"Toxin, what are you-" Sayo tried to ask, but when Toxin began to dash at a ridiculous speed, she and Ieyasu could only scream while they hung in the air like flags to a pole. Though they were quickly shut up by some webbing to the mouth.

 ** _Artic Tundra, Cliffside Cave_**

After less than two minutes, Toxin, Ieyasu, and Sayo finally made it to their destination. They were at some kind of cliffside near the mountain they were heading to.

Once coming to a stop, Toxin released Ieyasu and Sayo from their tendril, leaving the two to stagger around in an attempt to regain their bearings. Once they did, they ripped off the webbing and hissed at the stinging pain it caused.

 **"Tada!"** Said Toxin. **"I got us here in two minutes flat. And you wanted to waist time walking."**

Toxin laughed loudly, but was cut off by Sayo smacking them in the back of their head and snarled out, "Never. Do that. Again."

 **"What's your problem? I got us to our target,"** Toxin said as they pointed to a cave with footprints like the one from before leading inside it. **"The mammoth is in there, probably resting or something. If we act now, we can catch it by surprise. You're welcome, by the way."**

The three of them approached the cave and stared at the entrance. The cave was really big, bigger than many of the houses in their village and would definitely allow the mammoth to reside in. However, despite the size, the cave didn't seem to have anyplace to allow light to come in except for the entrance, meaning that they couldn't see the deeper parts of the cave aside from the wall of black.

"We can't fight it in there, it's too dark and confined. Someone needs to bring it out," Ieyasu spoke out.

 **"I'll do it,"** Toxin said with a toothy smile that showed their excitement, **"I can see in the dark and I'm the strongest here, so it'll be a pinch."**

Before Sayo or Ieyasu could even get a word out, Toxin ran straight into the cave. Deciding it would be best to be ready for the coming fight, Ieyasu pulled out his two axes while Sayo readied her bow in preparation. A couple minutes passed, making the two wonder what Tatsumi and Toxin were doing. Just then, a loud trumpet-like roar echoed from inside the cave. Soon after, they heard a loud boom. And then another one. And another. There was a second of delay between each one, the latest always being louder than the one before. Something was coming. Something big.

(God of War 3 OST - Hercules)

Ieyasu and Sayo quickly moved away from the entrance. A wise choice because had they not, the ginormus creature that charged out of the cave would've reduced them to stains on the ground.

The behemoth was about thirty-five feet tall and stood on four legs that could seemingly squash anything that unfortunately came under it. It had long and sturdy tusks, big floppy ears, a muscular trunk, a bundle of fur on its head, and a big scar over its right eye. The danger beast was none other than the artic mammoth.

As Ieyasu and Sayo watched the beast stomp around trumpeting, they noticed something was on top of it. It was Toxin, riding the danger beast while laughing as they stabbed its back with a sword they formed.

The mammoth continued to thrash around in order to shake Toxin loose. But no matter what it did, the symbiote's natural sticking ability kept them from budging in the slightest.

However, because Toxin was distracted by how much fun they were having, they were caught off guard by the trunk, which reached back and grabbed them before throwing them off it with all of its strength.

Toxin rocketed through the air and crashed not too far from Ieyasu and Sayo. The two friends quickly ran towards the symbiote to see if they were fine.

"Toxin, are you okay?" Sayo asked in a worried tone.

Toxin groaned and stood back. **"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."**

"Dude, your arm!" Ieyasu shouted.

 **"Huh?"** Toxin glanced down at their arms and saw that the left one was bent at a horrible angle. **"Oh, that. One sec."** The symbiote pressed their bent arm against their body and forced their bent arm back into alignment with sickening crunches as they did so.

 **"There, good as-"**

 _'OW!'_

The symbiote winced from the cry of pain coming from their host.

 ** _'Oh, shut up. It's not your first time getting hurt.'_**

 _'It still hurts like hell!'_

Toxin decided to just ignore Tatsumi and turned back to their target. The mammoth gave a trumpeting roar and charged at the three hunters. Luckily, Toxin grabbed Ieyasu and Sayo and jumped out of the way, letting the mammoth charge past them.

Toxin glanced towards Ieyasu and said, **"Okay, zoologist, give me an info stat before it comes back around."**

"Well first and for most, the mammoth prefers to deal with opponents by charging at them to either trample or impale them. Its muscles are super strong and-"

 **"Can you tell me something actually useful?"** Toxin cut him off, watching the danger beast charge right at them.

Ieyasu frowned at the interruption. "Let me finish. Its muscles are also thick, so we have to put in a lot of power in our attacks to even scratch it."

Toxin grabbed Ieyasu and Sayo again and jumped out of the mammoth's path, the danger beast trumpeting loudly as it passed them.

Toxin's mouth got covered by their orange mass, signifying Tatsumi taking control. "Okay Sayo, you hang back and fire your arrows at it while me and Ieyasu try to weaken it. Once it's tired, we'll all move in to kill. Got it?" Tatsumi explained, earning a nod from Ieyasu and "Got it," from Sayo.

"Good, let's move," Tatsumi said and charged at the mammoth alongside Ieyasu, said danger beast trumpeting again as it charged at them. While Sayo prepared to fire, Tatsumi told his friend, "Ieyasu, you focus on the back of the mammoth while I confront it head on." His friend nodded in agreement.

With the orders given, Tatsumi ran ahead of Ieyasu and straight towards the mammoth. Toxin's voice rang in head, **_'What'll the weapon of choice be this time? A pair of swords? Some axes? Or maybe some maces?'_**

"Actually, I was thinking that I use my new sword. Hope you don't mind," said Tatsumi. He then made a huge leap towards the mammoth, soaring through the air before landing right in the middle of the mammoth's face. The danger beast itself didn't slow its charge in even the slightest.

 ** _'Really? Okay...'_** Toxin mumbled while pulling out the sword from inside the suit with a tendril and placing it in Tatsumi's hand.

"Thanks," Tatsumi said and shoved the sword through the mammoths head with surprising ease. While the blade didn't get deep enough to damage anything important, it still caused a great amount of pain to the mammoth, making it stop its charge and start stomping around while trying to shake off Tatsumi.

As Tatsumi kept attacking the mammoth while trying to keep his grip, Ieyasu circled behind the beast, and slashed at the closest leg, splattering blood onto the snowy ground.

 _'Thank god uncle gave my axes an upgrade before we left,'_ Ieyasu mused.

However, while the attack was successful, the pain made the mammoth stomped around even more. The force of its stomps caused the earth to shake, making Ieyasu lose his balance and fall on his back. The hunter groaned and started getting back up, but stopped when he saw a massive foot heading straight towards him. Before he got turned into jelly however, a tendril wrapped around his waist and pulled him away and up towards the side of the mammoth, where Tatsumi was clinging to. He looked over his back to Ieyasu with a frown while slashing at the mammoth. "I leave you alone for a few seconds, and already I have to save your butt."

"I could've dodged it myself, you know," Ieyasu grumbled while crossing his arms.

"Or you could've died," Tatsumi said while leaping up onto the mammoth's back to avoid the trunk.

"Or I could've lived. Either of could've happened."

Tatsumi jumped off the mammoth's back avoiding the trunk again. Shooting a web line to its side, he swung underneath its stomach, throwing Ieyasu towards a pile of snow mid swing, and let go of the web line once he reached the other side. He ignored Ieyasu shouting at him for the act and fired another web line towards the mammoth's side. Tatsumi then slingshoted himself towards it, using the momentum to stab the sword deeper into the mammoth then usual.

 _'I need to get this thing off its feet. Any ideas, Toxin?'_ Tatsumi asked while crawling along the mammoth.

 ** _'Use webbing, maybe?'_** Toxin suggested.

Tatsumi dodged the mammoth's trunk and slashed at it, making the mammoth reel it back while trumpeting loudly. _'I have to add enough webbing to its feet so it doesn't break through. And with how much it's stomping around, I don't think that's possible.'_

 ** _'Then don't aim at the feet. Aim at the body.'_** It took Tatsumi a few seconds to realize what Toxin meant. And when he did, he asked, _'Are we even strong enough?'_

 ** _'Of course we are!'_** Toxin stated confidently.

Taking Toxin's word, Tatsumi leaped off the mammoth and landed on the ground on all fours, kicking up some snow upon landing. He turns around and fires two web lines at the mammoth. He gripped the webbing tightly, and with a shout of exertion, pulled the lines with great strength. The force behind it managed to pull the mammoth right off its feet and into the air before it came crashing down.

With the beast on the ground and struggling to get up, Tatsumi and Ieyasu charged at the mammoth. Tatsumi slashed at one side of the mammoth multiple times with his sword, while Ieyasu did the same to the other side with his axes, quickly making many wounds across the body.

The mammoth thrashed around violently on the ground, kicking its legs and swinging its trunk around to put up some kind of defense. It seemed to work, though. With the strong limbs kicking around and the ground shaking from its thrashing, it was becoming too risky for Tatsumi and Ieyasu to be this close, forcing the two to jump back from the danger beast.

Unfortunately, Ieyasu tripped after landing and fell on his back. And to make things worse, the trunk was heading straight for him. Artic mammoth trunks were said to be so strong that they could topple trees with a single swing. And a human?

Sayo screamed Ieyasu's name. In contrast, Ieyasu only looked away, awaiting the inevitable.

But nothing came.

Confused, Ieyasu slowly opened his eyes and saw Tatsumi with his back turned to him, holding the trunk over him with both hands. Well, technically it was Tatsumi's body that stood over him. But the one in control?

 **"Twice,"** said Toxin, turning their head towards Ieyasu. **"You almost got killed twice. And both within a minute. Did you break a mirror before we got here, or did you forget that humans are very squishy?"**

The mammoth turned over to its stomach and stood back up to its full height. Blood flowed down the many wounds left by Tatsumi and Ieyasu's assault, and arrows stuck out of parts of its body. Despite this, not only was the danger beast still ready to fight, it was extremely angry. The mammoth trumpeted again and attempted to pull its trunk from Toxin's grasp.

Toxin roared in pain, their body rippling from the painfully loud noise practically blasted in their face. Being so close to its trunk meant Toxin was at the source. And for a creature that was sensitive to sound, that hurt A LOT.

With the pain distracting them, Toxin was pulled off their feet and dragged across the snow by their knees as the mammoth reeled in their trunk. But the symbiote wasn't gonna take this lying down. With a snarl, they made their body stick to the ground, keeping the trunk from going any further, no matter how much the mammoth struggled.

Toxin looked back to Ieyasu, who was now back on his feet and watching Toxin, visibly concerned by the symbiote's current position. Sayo was by his side, likely having gone to make sure her boyfriend was okay after the near death experience.

 **"Find cover or so help me, I will NOT be held responsible for what happens next!"** Toxin shouted at them, clearly pissed.

"Oh boy, he's in a mood again," Sayo groaned at the all too familiar sight.

"Last time he was like this, it took weeks before they fixed their kitchen," said Ieyasu.

With the hunters finally started moving for what felt like an eternity for them, Toxin glared at the mammoth with frightening intensity.

 **"Alright, you overgrown furball. Your little outburst hurt me really bad. So I feel it's only fair I return the sentiment."** The symbiote's grip tightened and jerked the trunk towards them. The sudden action didn't allow the danger beast to brace itself and this time, it was the one their knees. The danger beast tried to stand back up, but Toxin pulled them back to its knees.

 **"No no no no no, you stay down. I'm not done. You still have a hell of a beating in store for you."**

Tendrils wrapped around the mammoth's trunk and twisted it. The mammoth trumpeted in pain, but because the tendrils were so tightly wrapped around the trunk, it only came out as sputtering. While Toxin kept rotating the danger beasts trunk, its head roated along with its trunk to alleviate the pain. It reached a point to where the only way it could keep going was to lie down on its side.

 **"There, now that you're all nice and comfy, we can get straight to the fun part!"** Toxin stated with a wicked smile.

The symbiote proceeded to drag the the struggling mammoth across the ground. They started slow, but gradually gained speed and spun it around in a circle, smashing through all the trees like they were toothpicks hit with a sledgehammer. The mammoth's slowly elevated in the air as Toxin spun even faster, its form becoming a massive blur because of the velocity. When the symbiote released the mammoth, it rocketed towards the side of the cliff, and creating a loud "BOOM!' upon impact. The mammoth stuck to the wall for a few seconds before falling to the ground, showing an imprint of the danger beast surrounded by cracks that spread all around. Some rocks even fell from the cliff and around the mammoth.

Toxin lets out a victorious roar, proud at the display of power. After the small celebration, the orange mass melded over the mouth, meaning Tatsumi was back in control.

 _'Good job, Toxin. That should definitely have caused some good damage,'_ Tatsmi congratulated while grabbing his sword, which was on his back and kept in place via tendrils. The symbiote let out a satisfied huff.

The danger beast slowly stood back up, visibly disoriented from the impact. One of the tusks even broke off. Yet despite this, the mammoth was STILL willing to fight.

"Tatsumi!" Ieyasu called out, running to Tatsumi's side and got into a fighting stance. "We have a plan to take the mammoth down," he said. He pointed towards it and said. "If you can make a big tear in its skin, she can deal the final blow."

"Do what I was already doing, got it," Tatsumi said while keeping his eyes on the mammoth, who glared at Tatsumi with visible rage. Yet it didn't charge. Likely all the damage it has taken made it a little more hesitant to just rush in.

Ieyasu shrugged, "Well, yeah, but bigger."

"Bigger by how much?"

"Big enough to shoot at it."

Tatsumi glanced at him through the corner of his eye. "What did you say was the plan again?"

"It's a surprise," Ieyasu said with a wink.

"Well, if it gets the job done."

Both hunters charged towards the mammoth, which the danger beast responded with its own charge. It swung its trunk down on them, but the hunters sidestepped it. Then Tatsumi stabbed their sword through the trunk, pinning it to the ground. The mammoth roared in pain and tried to pull its trunk out, but it couldn't because of how firmly it stuck to the ground coupled with the sheer pain it felt.

"Ieyasu, slice it up!" Tatsumi ordered.

In one single swipe, Ieyasu hacked off the mammoth's trunk. The mammoth reeled back its now free, yet shortened trunk, roaring and stomping around in agony as it splashing blood everywhere.

 _'Now's my chance,'_ thought Tatsumi and dashed towards the danger beast. In its thrashing, the mammoth didn't notice Tatsumi approaching until he had already high into the air, buried his blade up to the hilt inside the mammoth, and dragged all the way across its back.

Tatsumi jumped off the mammoth just as its thrashing and roaring intensified. When it finally started to settle down, it glared towards Tatsumi with pure fury and charged right at him, all the pain and agony being pushed to the back of its mind in favor of killing the one that was causing it so much damage.

"Oh, boy..." Tatsumi muttered and quickly hightailed it out of there, the mammoth in hot pursuit. He shouted to his friend, "Sayo, whatever you're gonna do, I hope you do it soon before I go splat!"

Back with Sayo, she pulled back the string of her bow with her arrow ready. The arrows Sayo was using were different from the other arrows she had been using. They had grey packs with lit fuses tied near the tip. Aiming her arrow high, Sayo fired the arrows upwards, soaring high into the air before being brought back down via gravity straight into the big wound on its back. The mammoth roared in pain, but didn't stop its charge.

"Tatsumi, get out of there!" Sayo yelled.

"Kinda already doing that, Sayo!" Tatsumi shouted back, trying his best to stay ahead of the artic mammoth that pursued him relentlessly.

When the spark reached the grey packs, they exploded, tearing apart the mammoth from the inside. Tatsumi shot a web line and zipped away just as the mammoth roared one final time and collapsed, black smoke spreading all over its body.

(Music End)

Tatsumi hit the ground and rolled some distance before stopping on his back.

"Is... is it dead?" Tatsumi panted out.

The black smoke slowly cleared and revealed the mammoth lying on the ground completely still and with a scorched back.

 ** _'Looks pretty dead to me,'_** said the symbiote.

"Yay..." Tatsumi fist pumped halfheartedly and let his arm fall back to the ground.

Ieyasu ran over to Tatsumi with a big smile. He held out his hand for Tatsumi to grab and said, "Dude, we were awesome!"

Tatsumi grabbed his friend's hand and was pulled to his feet. When Sayo approached them, Tatsumi said to her, "Spill, what the hell were those arrows?"

"They're explosive arrows. When I told my sister about our hunt, she gave me a few. She said they would come in handy. And she was right," Sayo explained.

Ieyasu walked towards Sayo and grabbed her by her arms, saying, "Babe, you're amazing." Then he pulled her in for a kiss. This surprised Sayo, but she quickly adjusted and kissed him back. Tatsumi just stared at them while fidgeting around uncomfortably. He looked around the area while whistling a little and said "I'm gonna go over there now."

Tatsumi's friends gave no sign of hearing him, but that didn't stop him from walking away. The symbiote suit retracted back inside his body and sat down on a rock that had somehow avoided getting destroyed in the battle. He felt some pride well up inside him for having been able to kill the mammoth, with help of course. But that was soured a little by the feeling envy. Looking back at the couple, still kissing, Tatsumi couldn't help but feel a little jealous that Ieyasu found someone he could love while he has never even had a girlfriend. But he was still happy that Ieyasu and Sayo were happy together.

 ** _'Why are you so depressed?'_** Toxin asked.

 _'Just a little jealous. Nothing to worry about,'_ Tatsumi responded.

 ** _'You're jealous of them kissing? Why would you be jealous of that? It's just two people rubbing their lips together.'_**

 _'It's more than that. It's the connection you have with someone you really care about,'_ Tatsumi explained.

 _' **Like you and me?'**_ Toxin asked.

 _'Not that kind of connection. It's...'_ Tatsumi tried tried to think of a proper way to describe it. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of anything, so he just settled on saying, _'It's a different kind of connection.'_

A few seconds passed before Toxin suggested, **_'Why don't you just kiss her?'_**

 _'Toxin, I can't do that. It's a relationship that only two people can have together. Kissing another person's girlfriend would be a completely immoral.'_

 ** _'That sounds selfish. Why can't people share their girlfriends so no one feels left out?'_**

 _'It's not as simple as that, Toxin. In fact, it's one of the most complicated things since the beginning of time, something we still haven't been able to fully understand.'_

 ** _'I think you're being overdramatic, but whatever. If kissing Ieyasu's girlfriend is a problem, then how about kissing Ieyasu instead?'_**

Tatsumi cringed at the suggestion. _'That's even worse! Look, as much as I appreciate your "help," I'd rather you drop this and we pretend we never had this conversation.'_

 ** _'Alright, fine,'_** Toxin said as the symbiote's voice faded.

 ** _Snowy Black Forest_**

A while later, the three traveled back to their village, the mammoth corpse being dragged behind them by Toxin's tendrils. Currently, they were passing through the Snowy Black Forest.

"Oh man, we're so awesome! An artic mammoth. We KILLED an artic mammoth. Ooh, everyone's gonna be jealous~!" Ieyasu said with a sing-song voice near the end.

 ** _'Is he forgetting we did most of the work?'_** Toxin asked Tatsumi, watching him gleefully celebrate their kill.

 _'Let him enjoy this. I think he could need a good confidence boost,'_ Tatsumi told it.

"I can't wait to rub this in Uncle's face! I'd like to see him try and insult me after today," Ieyasu laughed, making his friend and girlfriend sweatdrop.

"Well, I can't wait to tell Tsubaki about this too. I really want to thank her for the arrows," Sayo commented as she pulled out a bomb arrow and looked at it with a small smile.

As the trio continued walking through the forest back home, something caught Tatsumi's attention. Up in the sky, black pillars of smoke arose from somewhere up ahead.

"What the hell?" Ieyasu said aloud. "Is that a fire?"

"Guys..." Sayo called to them, her voice barely above a whisper. Her friends turned to see her visibly worried. She pointed to the smoke and asked with a shaky voice, "Isn't that where the village is?"

Tatsumi's eyes widened in horror. His imagination went wild, coming up with all kinds of possibilities. But he pushed them aside and quickly ran towards the village.

"Tatsumi, wait for us!" Ieyasu yelled as he and Sayo tried to keep up.

While Tatsumi was running, he prayed to whatever force existed that everyone was safe. Seeing the outline of the village gates, Tatsumi's pace slowed until he came to a stop in front of it.

The gate's doors were completely destroyed, with only pieces of scattered about remaining. Laying past the gate was a body facing down on a pile of snow.

Gulping, Tatsumi hesitantly took steps towards it. The closer he got, the more details he could make out, and the more dread he felt. The body showed no kinds of movement, being as still as a rock. Part of the snow around it was red, soaked in what he could only assume was blood. A broken sword laid near it, probably from a struggle.

Tatsumi knelt down to the body and caught a bad smell emanating from it. He shakily brought up a finger and poked it, hoping to get a reaction. But there was nothing. Again, he poked it, this time a little harder. But the results were the same. Bracing himself, Tatsumi grabbed the body and started counting in his head. When he got to three, he flipped it over.

Tatsumi jumped back and screamed at the sight, falling on his back and crawling away.

The face was torn apart to the point of unrecognition. One eye was missing while the other was sliced open. The forehead area was gone, like it was torn out. The lower jaw was gone too. And the stomach was sliced open, exposing the hollow insides.

Tatsumi clamped a hand over his mouth when he felt the contents of his stomach rise up inside his throat and turned away to vomit, Toxin pulling back part of themself from Tatsumi's face. After finishing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his wrist just as Sayo and Ieyasu arrived. Like Tatsumi, the were both completely horrified.

"What the hell did this?" Asked Ieyasu.

"I don't know," Tatsumi replied, standing up and turning towards the pillar of smoke. "But whatever it is, it probably went to the village."

Tatsumi took off once again, running even faster than before. Ieyasu quickly followed while Sayo stared at the body for a bit before she too followed.

 ** _Sahne Eis Village_**

Sayo and Ieyasu ran as fast as they could, trying to reach the village. Like Tatsumi, they were scared and worried. They hoped that whatever had broken the gates had been stopped by the hunters. But the image of the mutilated body still fresh in their mind made them doubt that.

The two reached the top of the mountain that overlooked the village and froze when they saw flames engulfing everything in sight. They snapped out of it when they saw Tatsumi running right into the village and followed him. They passed through the flaming cabins and saw Tatsumi standing completely still, the urgency he held before completely gone.

As soon as Ieyasu reached his friend, he asked, "Tatsumi, what's... wrong...?" Ieyasu trailed off when he saw the sight in front of him.

(Resident Evil 4 OST - A Ruined Village)

Bodies. Bodies everywhere. On the street, on the roofs, everywhere. And each one was just as grisly as the one from the gates. The entire ground was covered by crimson snow. The bodies were gutted and dismembered. Limbs and organs littered the place like garbage. The ones that still had their faces intact either held expressions of pain, terror, or a mixture of the two.

The three walked through the ruined village, their faces held complete horror and disgust. Among the carnage, Sayo spotted one particular body. It was a young boy, with his limbs ripped off and chest torn open. The sight of this made Sayo turn away and vomit in the snow.

 _'Oh god, even children?'_ Sayo thought with tears in her eyes.

"What caused... "this"?" Ieyasu asked.

"I don't know... but right now, we need to look for survivors. Toxin and I will go search the east side of the village while you two search the west. If something happens, give me a signal," Tatsumi said.

Ieyasu and Sayo nodded their heads and went off to look for survivors.

(Music End)

 ** _With Sayo and Ieyasu._**

"Any luck?" Sayo asked her boyfriend as he walked out of one of the destroyed houses.

Ieyasu sadly shook his head. "Everyone inside was butchered just like the rest."

The two searched for hours now, yet they hadn't found a single survivor. Whatever did this was thorough.

As the two resumed walking through the streets, Sayo turned to Ieyasu and asked, "Do you think anyone survived?"

Ieyasu sighed. "At this rate, it would be a miracle to find a corpse in one piece."

Sayo opened her mouth to say something, but spotted something that made her scream. "SIS!"

She ran past Ieyasu and towards Tsubaki's corpse. Her lower body was gone, spilling out her organs while arrows stuck out of her chest. Her face held the same pained expression as many others.

Sayo fell to her knees in front of Tsubaki's body with her hands clamped over her mouth. Seeing her sister, the person that had loved and taken care her since she was little, Sayo broke down crying.

Ieyasu approached Sayo and placed a hand on her shoulder, but she immediately slapped it away. Thinking she wanted to be alone right now, he turned around and walked away, leaving Sayo to mourn.

Being alone, Ieyasu was left with nothing but his own thoughts. No matter where they searched, every house, every street, all they found were more mutilated bodies. And many were people he knew. He wouldn't be surprised if he saw his uncle somewhere around this hell. And even if they found survivors, even if there was enough to rebuild the village, things would never be the same.

The situation started to get to Ieyasu. He needed some kind of outlet now. He went towards the nearest house and punched it. And then he did it again. Over and over, he punched the wall as hard as he could, punctuating every strike with a shout for twenty minutes straight, venting out his frustrations the only way he could think of. By the time he stopped, his throat felt sore and his knuckles ached like hell. Panting, he looked over the back of his hand and saw that he had broken skin, causing it to have a thin layer of blood over it. But he didn't care. He wanted to feel better somehow. Unfortunately, he still felt as hopeless as before.

 _'I better find Sayo,'_ he thought. He had spent enough time here and needed to get back to searching. Before he left though, he noticed something just as he turned. Now that he was more calm, he noticed a body laid against the wall he was punching. It was a man who was missing both his arms and legs. But that wasn't the interesting part. It was the armor he wore.

Ieyasu knelt down to the corpse and inspected it. Something about it was familiar, but he didn't know why. He reached for the head and turned the face towards him, meeting with a sight that made him feel sick. The person's lower jaw was completely gone. One eye was wide open while the other had some kind of metal object shoved through it. Curiously, he grabbed it and slowly pulled it out to inspect. One half was completely in coated blood while the other, though stained, was clean enough to identify what this was. And he was shocked.

 ** _With Tatsumi_**

As Tatsumi walked through the village, he counted off all the bodies he recognized. Toxin had so far remained silent throughout search, merely observing the surrounding area for anything out of Tatsumi's line of sight. So far, all they saw were corpses and destruction.

Tatsumi leaped onto the top of a house and shouted with hands on the sides of his house, "ANYONE OUT THERE!?"

He swept his gaze over the streets and listened intently for a response. Someone to come running out of their house, or a plea for help. Any kind of sign that there was a survivor. But only silence met him.

Tatsumi sighed and jumped down from the house, then proceeded to walk down the street.

 ** _'Do you think this was a Danger Beast's work or something else?'_** Asked Toxin.

"I don't know, Toxin..." Tatsumi muttered. He walked into the inside of one of a house to see if there was anyone inside.

 ** _'Do you think anyone survived?'_**

"I don't know, Toxin..." Tatsumi repeated, walking into what appeared to be a living room. He saw broken furniture scattered about and at least four bodies of varying ages, likely a family, sliced apart like paper. Tatsumi looked away from the scene and left to search in the rest of the house. Finding no sign of survivors, he decided to continue his search elsewhere.

 ** _'What do we do if don't find anyone?'_**

"I don't know, Toxin," Tatsumi repeated again, this time with some irritation in his voice he walked out of the house and continued walking down the street.

 ** _'Wha-'_**

"I DON'T KNOW, TOXIN!!" Tatsumi yelled, stopping in the middle of the street. "I don't know..."

 ** _'... I'm sorry'_**

Tatsumi sighed and said, "No, no, I shouldn't have snapped like that. I was just stressed." Resuming his walk, he went on to say, "Let's just keep looking. We can't until rest until we've searched every nook and cranny for sur-"

After rounding the corner of a house, he saw a house that was separated from all the others, sitting alone atop a small hill. It was his, and it was just as torn up as the other houses.

"Oh no..." Tatsumi whispered. He bolted straight for the house at full speed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Obi!" Tatsumi called out, running over the busted down door at the entrance. "Obi!" He called again, getting more anxious by the second. Running into the destroyed living room, he spotted a trail of blood, way too much for his liking, leading towards the kitchen. They immediately bolted towards the kitchen, only to be met with a heart wrenching sight.

Obi laid on the floor in a pool of his own blood. His legs and left arm were gone, leaving bloody stumps. And his stomach was riddled with multiple puncture wounds.

Tatsumi ran towards Obi and knelt next to him. He grabbed Obi's shoulders and shook him. "Obi! I'm here, wake up!"

No response.

"Obi, please wake up!" Tatsumi pleaded.

No response.

"Obi please!" He pleaded again.

No response.

"Please..." Tatsumi whimpered.

No response.

All the emotion Tatsumi tried keeping in check since he arrived in the village became too much. With tears streaming down his face, he let out an anguished scream. For what felt like an eternity, Tatsumi just cried, mourning the death of his adoptive parent.

 ** _Sahne Eis Village_**

Several hours later, the sun began to set and the flames died down to only smoke. In the center of the village, Ieyasu held Sayo close to him, stroking her back as a form of comfort while she cried into his shoulder. They heard footsteps approaching and turned towards the source. They saw Tatsumi shambling towards them without the symbiote over him and his head hung low. He stopped a few feet away and lifted his head just enough to let them see his red and puffy eyes, conveying all they needed to know. Ieyasu and Sayo ran towards Tatsumi and embraced him. They spent the next few minutes together crying in silence, letting out their pain and sadness as they tried to comfort one another. Even Toxin joined in, wrapping a pair of tendrils around them to try and provide some solace in this horrid disaster.

When everyone broke, Sayo sniffled and asked, "What are going we do know?" Normally she was the one who tried to guide them and keep everything in check. But now she felt completely lost.

Tatsumi shook his head with a sigh. Like Sayo, he didn't know how to continue from here either. The cause of all this didn't leave any distinct tracks. And any smell he could trace was most likely buried under the stench of blood and smoke.

"I think I might have a clue," said Ieyasu. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the object he had found before. It was a badge with the image of a red serpentine dragon coiling around a shield engraved on it. Traces of blood were visible, but it was otherwise fine. "This badge... it has the crest of the Empire."

Tatsumi eyes widened in shock. "The Empire? You mean the Empire that governs most of the land? The one with the big city placed dead center of the region? That Empire?"

"Yeah, that one," Ieyasu simply replied as he looked it over. "It doesn't belong to any of the veterans. Soldiers that retire are required to hand in their badges. And even if they did have one, it wouldn't be in this good condition. All the veterans retired at least a decade ago. Not only that..." The memory of the corpse he found paced through his mind. "The body I found this lodged into was wearing imperial armor."

"But... but why is it here?"

"We don't know. We always thought our village was too small and far out for the Empire to even care," Said Sayo. "Seems they cared more than we thought."

Ieyasu handed the badge to Tatsumi. "Do you think you can pick up a trace of anything?"

"Let me try," Said Tatsumi. He brought it up to his nose and sniffed. He frowned in frustration and said, "All I smell is blood and death. Which means it smells like everything else here.

"Tsk, thought so," Ieyasu said with a slight hint of disappointment. He had expected this to be the answer, but hoped that somehow it wouldn't be different. He tried cleaning up the badge as best he could in hopes of Tatsumi being able to find something, but he knew that the chances were slim.

Tatsumi however, didn't seem as disappointed. In fact, he seemed determined. "But now I know that seeing this here isn't a coincidence. Whatever happened had to be connected to the Empire. And I'm going to find out why."

"Tatsumi, please don't tell me you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do," Said Sayo.

"If you think I'm gonna go to the Capital and interrogate everyone important for answers, then I won't tell you a thing."

"But that's insane! You're thinking of going after an entire monarchy by yourself to-"

"Our home is gone, Sayo." Tatsumi cut her off. His voice was flat and his eyes showed complete seriousness. "There's nothing left for us here. And the Empire might know something. They may even be directly responsible."

"They might, but they also might not," Sayo countered. "And then what?"

Tatsumi just looked straight at her for a good few seconds before looking down at the ground. "I don't know."

"Sayo..."

Sayo turned to Ieyasu, who looked like he wanted to say something, but was hesitant. Taking a deep breath, he said, "This is the only clue we have. Everyone we know is dead and we don't even know why. Even if it is unlikely they had any hand in this, I want to at least try."

Sayo looked at Ieyasu incredulously and turned to Tatsumi with the same look, who didn't seem like his stance on the matter was gonna change anytime soon. She looked down at the ground and said, "This is incredibly stupid. Stupid and suicidal."

"You don't have to join us. We won't force you to do something you don't agree-" Tatsumi was cut off.

"I DON'T agree with this," Sayo stated firmly. "But... I can't leave you two. We stick together no matter what."

"Then it's decided. But before we head out, we should bury everyone we can. It wouldn't be right to leave all the bodies scattered around like this. Then we gather supplies so we're properly prepared to set out. Is that fine with you two?" Tatsumi asked. Seeing his friends nod, he said "Well, let's get started."

 ** _Hours later_**

(Interlude - Tristan Barton)

Outside of the village, the trio were busy burying all the bodies they found. It was a difficult task, not just because of the amount of bodies, but the emotional pain of having to bury so many people. The community was small, but it was very social. Almost everyone knew everyone. Meaning almost everyone they buried were people they recognized, making this even harder than it already is. When they didn't, it was likely because the body was damaged beyond recognition. Regardless, it was something that they felt they needed to do.

Tatsumi was on his knees praying in front of Obi's grave. It was part of the religion he believed in to pray for the recently departed to find their way to the afterlife.

 ** _'Are you sure about this, Tatsumi?'_** Toxin telepathically asked in concern.

 _'I have to, Toxin. I need to find out why this happened,'_ Tatsumi replied back. His knuckles clenched tightly as he added, _'And who's responsible.'_

 ** _'I guess it's safe to assume nothing I say is going to stop you. Not that I would. In fact, I encourage this. I really liked this place, so I feel obligated to tear apart the people responsible, as slowly and as painfully as possible.'_**

The symbiote host smiled and said, _'Thanks Toxin, I appreciate it.'_

 ** _Snowy Black Forest_**

After collecting everything he needed for the coming journey, Tatsumi laid on tree branch while waiting for Ieyasu and Sayo. In his wait, he couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if he had stayed this morning instead of leaving to hunt. Would he have been able to do something? Could Obi, Tsubaki, and everyone else be saved?

 ** _' Stop thinking about it. It only makes it hurt more.'_**

Toxin was right, what's done is done. All he could do now was move forward and treasure what he still has.

Eventually, Ieyasu and Sayo arrived to the spot. They carried large backpacks that were undoubtedly filled with all the necessities they'll need for the journey.

Tatsumi leaped down from the branch and landed in front of them. "Let's get moving. We've got a long journey ahead of us."

"Are you sure about this?" Sayo asked, hoping that maybe Tatsumi would reconsider.

The only reply Tatsumi gave was, "It's the only thing we've got."

The three all looked back to the ruins of Sahne Eis, giving the place they lived in one last good look while they reminisced of all the good times they had with the friends and family they loved very much.

When they were done, the three turned around and walked down the road that lead to the Snowy Black Forest, the place they had to cross for the fastest route to the Capital. They didn't know what awaited them in their journey, but what they did know is that there is no coming back.

(Music End)

 **Aaaaaaaannnnnnnd** **that's a wrap. Yup. Shit just got real. Now on to the recommendations and questions:**

 **Will Toxin be able to bulk up when angry like in the comics? In due time, yes.**

 **Spider-Man PS4 and akame ga kill crossover from Dcraus. I know you put a lot of though into this one, but I'll have to say no. Main reason is that I haven't play the PS4 Spiderman game yet and don't feel like it.** **Sorry man.**

 **Attack on Titan and Spiderman PS4 crossover. Haven't played the game and I don't see myself doing this.**

 **Tatsumi was a Jinchuriki and had Kurama inside of him. Addressing this again, I'm not doing any Naruto and Harry Potter fanfics.**

 **RWBY reaction style on Spiderman PS4. I have been thinking about doing a reaction fanfic, but not this one. Nice idea, but no. Thanks anyway.**

 **Feel free to either favorite, comment, or ask me a question and I'll answer it in the next chapter. And Happy** **Thanksgiving everyone.**


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